When Angels Deserve to Die
by rasz1
Summary: Set years after Seiken Densetsu 3, the heroes of the sword faces their greatest challenges yet: a plague of undead attacks their world, and trusting a stranger who might be the key for salvation. Written from 2000 to 2003, edited in 2012 from an angsty teenage adventure into an angsty adventure. Rated T for violence, swearing and tobacco and alcohol references.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 0 (I) - Innocent Darkside -**

Rain pouring down. The dark night, lit by the fires and the constant explosions seemed eternal as we watched each other fiercely. The Elemental Masters were dead. Alexandra was dead and Blind Point destroyed.  
Nothing stood between us.

Before me, a man slightly taller than me stood, wielding a shiny halberd. He's Christopher. Someone who has been a hundred years out to get me and still hasn't succeeded. Laying on the floor is the body of the Thornscape Master, who gave us one hell of a fight, but even him couldn't match up to our combined powers. Just the two of us, in that tall building, out for the final battle.

"Ready Ludwig?"

I look at him. Beard, black hair, torn clothes. We've been out for too long.

"Whenever you want, Christopher."

The man smoothens his hair and smiles "Isn't it strange, Ludwig?  
It's all over and none of us could change anything! Oh well... we shall see once it's over."

"It is over, Christopher."

"Why?" asked me "Why should it be over? Because Alexandra is dead?  
Oh joy, and what a death! The greatest necromancer of the world died!"

I add "And falling from a stupid window."

"Do you think she deserved any better?"

"Nah." I hit my boots with my sword "Not really. I just find it rather disgusting."

"Anyway, Ludwig, let's get this over with. I'm really sick and tired of you pushing me around."

I bow and reply "You can say the feeling is mutual". Using the element of surprise, I dash at him and send my sword at his face.  
Caught unaware, he takes it fully, and leans back, blood spurting from his face. From the looks of it, I think I got his eye.

"You fucking BASTARD! I will kill you once and for all!" He screams, and jumps at me. It's funny how, even after all this time, Christopher hasn't managed to break my defense.  
Lise did, Mary Ann gave me one hell of a beating, and Joseph almost killed me, but he still has one helluva grudge of a fight with me.

After several failed strikes, I hold my sword up, and he takes the open whole to kick me. I move my left arm instinctively to block it, not realizing he would hit that cursed wound. He hits me and the stinging pain in my left arm takes me back a few steps. He jumps at my, and tries a cross slash to behead me. I react in time and stop the strike with my own weapon. We struggle for a few seconds and he mocks me:

"I thought you were proud of your 'impenetrable defense'."

I smile and reply "I don't think you've done much with that kick."

"Oh yeah, I see your arm bleeding. And like hell."

My left arm is indeed bleeding like hell. What do people want with it?  
It has been kicked, punched, cut, stomped, burned and marked with fire.  
Whatever kind of depraved endemic fetish is going around here it's definitely not of my tastes and less if they are going to keep pounding at my goddamned left arm.

"That's not really new."

Suddenly, we hear a monstrous scream. That must be Joseph, dying.  
It's very hard to mistake someone who speaks with echo. My allies have done their part. I have nothing to worry about now.

I get a hold of his weapon and smile "You will remember this one, dumbass."

My sword begins to glow dark flames, and both our weapons start to heat up to unimaginably high temperatures. Christopher desperately fights to release his grip, but I have tighten my own. I push him back, and turn around wildly, pushing him back at full speed. We crash against the balcony wall and jump off the building.

Thanks to my Dark Banishment technique, our acceleration is far more from the usual 9 meters per seconds allowed by gravity. We crash through the neighbor building, through the other side, and land heavily in the ground.

This hasn't killed us. Christopher has lived around a century or so,  
and I have been burned alive and that hasn't killed us. This stupid fall won't.

But it DID hurt.

I work my way back to my feet, and find Christopher, wrecked, against the ground, breathing desperate, reaching for air. I walk up to him and look at his lamentable situation.

I grab my sword, and stood firm above Christopher. He opens his sane eye. "Are you going to kill me now?" he asks.

Of course. "Yes". I bury my sword on his chest.

To be honest, this isn't the kind of death I thought to Christopher. Is a lame kind of death for someone who's several centuries old.

I suppose it wasn't my place to judge so, though.

I drop myself in the floor. I'm tired, I haven't slept in days, haven't ate since this morning - how long has passed since this morning,  
anyway? -, my left arm is bleeding out, and my legs simply can't work anymore. I can't hold my own weight, let alone fight. I begin to drift away out of exhaustion, and suddenly I hear a voice.

"Ludwig! Are you okay?"

That female voice is definitely Michelle's, my best - and perhaps only -  
friend. Despite my undying love towards her, I can honestly agree with something here: that was a very stupid question.

"What do you think, girl?"

"Well, how do I explain. You look kinda bad, but you'll be okay. I'm sure. You've been through worse. You went through a whole Spinal Tap concert. You will survive, honey."

I raise an eyebrow. Another voice does joins us. "How about Christopher?  
Finally dead?"

That's Lise. Beautiful, intelligent, and definitely trampling. She looks at me and smiles. Without bothering to smile back, and I answer "Well, he stopped breathing."

She laughs and replies "That's _usually_ a good sign of defunction."

Michelle gasps, and suits her glasses, then she holds me tightly.  
I complain loudly due to the pain on my left arm, and she tells me "That was from Tresh. He asked me to say goodbye to you."

"So he's lost now..."

"Don't put that long face now. He was already dead. He sold his soul to help us. He knew what he was doing." says, sharply, Lise.

"I'm not sad. I just kinda would have liked to say goodbye."

"He took that for granted."

The two girls help me back to my feet, and we walk to the building I just jumped up. The elevator, of course, it's out of order. We have to go up twenty five stairs.

"Okay, if we get out of this alive, Ludwig, you go on diet. Hell are you heavy." says, jokingly, Michelle. Lise laughs out loud, and I reply humorless "Don't pester me now, girl. I'm annoyed right now,  
and you know how much of a pain in the ass I can be if I'm annoyed."

"Okay, okay! Geez. Some sense of humor now that we're about to die would be nice!"

I certainly don't enjoy that comment.

We finally reach the final floor. We stand there, and I watch the Crystal Cyclix going insane, and I watch the Time Vortex sucking things up and down. For some reason, I don't think that's good.

I get a grip of my sword, and listen to the ambient. There it is. The sound of death. I do not know how does it sounds like, but it feels like the silent hiss of death. I raise my sword, and my two partners imitate me.

"DARK BANISHMENT!"

"HEAVENLY STRIKE!"

"DRAGON'S WILL!"

Our three powers combine with the Crystal's and a massive glowing wave explodes from the building, destroying everything on its path. That is.  
The Dark Plague it's over. Whatever's left of it will be of no consequence. However, due to the tremendous amount of energy channeled through it, the building begins to crumble down and falls.

We three begin to fall down, inevitably, to our doom. I watch Michelle yelling something at me, while Lise is unconscious. I can't hear anything, because I keep listening to the death. The last thing I remember is the Deatheye looking menacingly at me and the Time Vortex flying around. I lose my senses seconds before I hit the ground.

I thought death would be more interesting.

* * *

**Chapter 0 (II) - Boomerang -**

The start of the day, usually, was something I longed for. Nowadays, though, it's something I dread horribly. I wake up slowly, and I find next to me the naked body of a man with gray hair, though he looks like he's twenty or so. I caress his back and say "Good morning, Hawk."

"G'morning Riesz..."

I throw myself into the bed and he gets up and gets dressed. He looks at me benevolently and asks me "Ready for another royal day?"

"No" I answer.

"Why not? What do you want to do today?"

"Nothing. I want to lay down and die."

Visibly concerned, he sits next to me and asks me "What's the matter,  
Riesz? Since last week or so you seem to have catch a very deep depression."

I don't answer. It's useless. The heavy burden of being the Queen of such kingdom as Rolante proved to be a lot more heavy than I had thought. Each and every day I feel the need to idealize my father for doing so for so long. Being married has been wonderful, but sometimes I feel so tired, so bad... I think our marriage was rushed.

We were too young and impulsive, and our decisions were wrong. We have paid a high price for our innocence. I wonder how has Duran's marriage developed. They seemed so much ready than we were.  
Or so I thought. I simply think that too many things went below the table and I didn't saw them.

"It's nothing Hawk. I am just tired."

He gets up and tells me "Anyway, I have great news! I figured out you were probably missing all those good days, you know, slaying demons and risking our lives without any reason... so I sent a lil'  
letter to a few old friends..."

My eyes light up and I shout "Duran?! Angela?! Carlie?!"

"Well, yeah, and perhaps someone else. I don't know. But rest assured that, to the very least, we will spend a good night."

I get up and hold him with all my strength. He chokes, and finally I let go of him. It's funny how I could be even stronger than he is... but it's all in the training and our own paths. He choose to be a Wanderer, to know the world, and to love it. I Choose to be a Star Lancer, to honor the Goddess and fight for her laws.

He plays dead for awhile and I begin laughing, first silently, and it then evolves into a mighty laugh attack which I can't control.  
He smiles and joins my hysterical happiness.

I finally recover in his arms, and he tells me "I love you, Riesz.  
Do you love me, Riesz?"

"I love you, Hawk."

"I hate you, Riesz. Do you hate me?"

"I hate you, Hawk."

I tuck myself between his arms, and kiss him. Sometimes, just sometimes, I feel like this wasn't a mistake.

* * *

_"A lie always returns. Be careful how you catch it."_

**Boomerang (Classic Edition)**

* * *

**Chapter 0 (II) - Simple Kind of Life -**

"OH YESSSSS! OH YEAH! THIS IS WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT!"

Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not doing anything wrong. I'm just overly happy. News like these don't come around very often.

"Oh my goddess, Duran, what the hell is wrong with you? Loki can't sleep with all that noise!"

I turn around to watch a beautiful, purple haired girl,  
with a little kid on her arms. That's Angela, my wife, and Loki,  
my son, whom I named after my father. After defeating the Dark Lich,  
I came with Angela to settle down on Forcena, and got married. We soon had a child, a hyperactive blonde small thing which I can hardly believe I made.

"Come here, champion!" I hold him in my arms. It's my son. I have the right to.

"What is it, Duran?" Angela asks. I extend the letter to her.

"It's an invitation to a party tonight. To Rolante, babe! It's gonna be great!"

"Oh dear, you could have read it without making such a rubbish."

I hold her and kiss her. After marrying, I became known as the Paladin of the World, and I give away faith and protection. I also earned a virtual Golden Knight like my father once was, a very big honor. I don't wear a golden armor, though. I have much better stuff to wear.

I moved from my aunt's house and she moved to Navarre for some reason with my sister. Angela works as a teacher of sorts in the castle.

"We have to go! I mean, it's been like a year since we last saw 'em! I miss them lots!"

"Of course we're going, honey." Agrees my wife. She kisses me back and plays with Loki for a few seconds. She then blows yet another kiss to me, and runs up the stairs to keep the kitchen from blowing up. Like it has happened several times.

I guess that's what a normal life is. Boring, but quiet.

"No bird soars too high, if he soars with his own wings."

William Blake "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell"

Chapter 0 (III) - Caught Beneath the Landslide -  
-

Another day, another opportunity to change someone's life.

Each day I wake up and begin my duties as the Priest of the World. Each day I come to the temple, and bless and give advice to the people who ask for either. They come and leave happy regardless of what they get for an answer, just by my presence and their own faith they find solace.

And I end up happy for each person who comes here and leaves happy.

Wendel hasn't been the same ever since the Beastmen attacked it a few years ago. On this very place, Riesz found the dead corpse of my grandpa. This very place, it still smells like blood on the walls, they still feel sticky. This place still feels like a giant coffin, nailing me down.

A couple comes, and I bless them. They ask about their lives.  
I say that life's what you make out of it, and as long as their lives were guided by the light of the Goddess, they would be alright. They leave, content of feeling enlightened, and I stay, content of seeing them with new ideas on their heads.

I sigh and watch the people walking around. Sometimes I feel tired of this, but the pleasure of helping people is simply too much to just forget it.

Uh? What is this?

Death?

Interesting?

A guard comes by and he hands me a letter. It's from Hawk!  
What a beautiful surprise! He tells me to come over by sunset.  
Flammie would come and pick me up. Well, this is sure a good thing. I need some rest.

Now, however, I need to talk about this vision I had...

* * *

_"Each day, I fight for my life and win. Each night, I fight to remember my name, and lose."_

**Grafted Skullcap (seventh edition)**

* * *

**Chapter 1 (I) - Once again -**

The wind blows heavily as it always does in Rolante. The fountain outside the castle - background for many love histories and fitting ending for them as well - shows a young woman, blonde, using a light blue armor. Her very long hair swings back and forth with the wind,  
and her hand touches the water in the fountain. When the waves would come to a stop, Riesz, the Queen of Rolante, can be seen reflected on the clear water.

It's no one's secret that the Queen has been unhappy. Perhaps not sad, but certainly overwhelmed with the passions of being a Queen and ruling a whole country. Their people love her, and they support every decision she makes, but each and every day they have grown used to see her dying from the insides and it pains her people not to be able to help.

Flammie, the mighty father of the skies, flies around the castle, carrying three people. Hawk jumps out of the castle to receive the outsiders, their friends, and they jump out of Flammie to basically land above their friends. The five resting Heroes of the Sword.

Duran and Riesz hug each other effusively, like they longed for this for more than a year. Hawk takes a moment to watch Carlie, who has grown from that little girl who looked like a baby to a totally stunning blonde girl who's almost as tall as he is.

As the group eats and drinks, over chats and meetings, they remember the old times. The quests to save the world. Hawk's legendary kiss in Rolante the first time they met. Duran's bad jokes. Carlie's incredible grown.

"Oh well, This was what we needed..."

The whole group turns to watch Hawk, who's smiling and watching his wine glass, playing with it as if it was some kind of weapon. He finally rises it and proposes a toast "For us. For our friendship. For our lives."

Everyone agrees, and laughs. Finally, Carlie decides to go into a more serious tone and begins speaking:

"People, there was a reason why I wanted to see you all. I had a vision."

Riesz frowns and asks "Anything wrong, Charlotte?"

"I don't know. I had a dream about three person falling from a really tall building, then an eerie eye appeared, a wild tornado, and finally the words "Death" and "Interesting". It isn't normal that I have such dreams. I'm sort of disturbed by this. What do you think that could mean?"

"Well, my mom says that death usually means the beginning of something. The rest are definitely out of my league" Proposes Angela, smiling. "That's a very educated idea, though."

Charlotte collapsed into her chair and sighed heavily "I don't think that has much to do with this... But thanks. Perhaps it isn't anything at all."

A knock on the door. A guard enters, very agitated, and looks at the whole group "Queen, I think we need your help!"

"What is it?" asks, concerned, Riesz.

"I don't know, " begins the guard "We found a very strange person on the Summit of the Skies. Only you're allowed up there and anyway the way up there is ridiculously difficult to find, so we don't have any idea how did he reached the Summit."

Hawk bit his lower lip and looked at Riesz "I think we better go and check, honey."

"Indeed."

* * *

The Dungeons on Rolante are usually empty. There is no point into filling them, as crime is simply non-existent there. As dark and as uneasy as any jail, a small guy, with long blonde hair and a slim build sits, with his face between his knees, in the floor, holding an enormous sword just behind himself.

"We couldn't take it off him. He agreed to come, but he refused to let go his sword."

Riesz looks at the guard, then directs her view at the prisoner.

"Mister? May I speak with you?"

"You shouldn't be so polite, the dude looks like a criminal..."

Riesz hit Duran with her elbow on his stomach "Please, Duran, let me handle it. I do not think he's dangerous. Mister?"

"Please, don't call me 'mister'"

The guy raises his face to reveal a good looking, but definitely young looking face, and he glares the group, and buries his face again between his knees "What do you want? How long are you gonna keep me here?"

"As long as you don't cooperate, kid, so get up." demanded Hawk.  
He simply ignored this.

"Please, let me speak. Who are you? What were you doing up there?  
How did you get here?" Asks Riesz once again.

"That's something I would like to know" Replies without showing his face.

Riesz, slightly frustrated, decides to enter the door. "What the hell?" cursed Duran, but Riesz pushes him away.

* * *

I think I can help him. I enter the cell, but he doesn't acknowledges my presence. I walk up to him, and kneel down, putting my hand on his shoulder "You will not be hurt. You just need to understand we do not trust strangers."

"Do you fear them?"

"Perhaps."

I tighten my grip on his shoulder to sit down, but, acting on reflexes,  
he throws his sword at me. I barely manage to evade it. I'm a dumbass,  
I forgot I was unarmed.

But obviously he doesn't knows me.

He throws another strike that I dodge, and throw a short knee strike to his stomach grabbing his head. He takes it fully and falls down to his knees, but he recovers quickly and points his sword at me, and challenges me "Don't even move. I have a very bad and ugly sword ready to slice you up if you make a bad move."

I raise an eyebrow and think. I can hit him again, but his endurance seems to be very high. With such a defensive stance, I could overcome his wall and take him down, but I don't want to hurt him. "I will not hurt you... what is your name?"

"Ludwig. Ludwig Crowbane, Hell Knight from Break Point."

What the hell did he said?

"Uh, well, I am Riesz, Queen of Rolante. The white haired guy is my husband,  
Hawkeye, Wanderer from Navarre, The blonde girl is the Priestess of Light,  
Charlotte, the big guy is Duran and the other girl is Angela, the Princess of Altena. Now that we know each other, I have no idea about where does 'Break Point' stand..."

"I could say the same for all that you've just say."

We look at each other in the eyes. I know he is not lying, but, I can't really believe what he just said. How can he ignore all those names? Isn't he from this world?

"Please, first lower your sword."

He thinks for a second, and then lowers it. But, suddenly, I hear a powerful crash, and it's Duran breaking the bars and entering the cage with his sword up. Before I know it, Ludwig pushes me back, and hits Duran with all of his might with a roundhouse, sending him against a wall. Once again, I think, he doesn't really knows me. I use the momentum from his prod to turn around and hit him with a powerful roundhouse on his face, then I put my leg on his shoulder, grab his right arm, and pin him to the floor to control him. He doesn't seems to put up much resistance, but then escapes my grip easily, and heads a quick fist at me. I block it, and with a second roundhouse I throw him against a wall, putting him out of his senses.

"Well, dear, that was a short but intense exercise" complains Duran "That dude owes me one."

"Save it for later. Charlotte, do something to keep him sleeping. We will bring him up for interrogation." I order. Hawk looks at me disturbed and asks me "What do you mean? Are you gonna free him? Have you even seen what he can do?"

"I think, Hawk, that I have proved that I can deal with him. Is he strong? Yes. Is he stronger than I am? No. Now calm down everyone, is nothing we haven't seen before."

"I hope you are right, Riesz..." finishes, stern, Hawk.

"She is."

Everyone looked at Carlie, who was keeping Ludwig down using her white magic. "I don't think he might be dangerous. I just think he's scared.  
And confused."

Angela smoothed her hair and said "Well, let's get this over with."

I sighed, and told her "Believe me. There is nothing I would prefer right now."

"Neither do I"

We all look at Ludwig, who's not only awake, but also completely on his senses. Duran drew his sword and pointed it at Ludwig. "Don't even move."

Ludwig swallowed and asked "Listen, I'm not staying here. I don't even know where am I, and, frankly, I don't feel like listening now to you,  
so, kindly move the hell out of my way."

"Try me" challenged Duran.

"Fine."

With the speed of lightning, Ludwig threw himself out of Carlie's grip, and jumped at Duran, tackling him and taking him out of the way. I watched, totally stunned, and produced my spear, adopting my battle stance. He stopped for a second, raised his sword, and then tried to run at me. I say tried, because the instant he started to run,  
he fell face first into the floor.

"Not all of our tricks require lightning speed." said our personal Magus, Angela, who had frozen the floor beneath his feet. Hawk lifted Ludwig's face and asked, kindly "Now, what are you doing here?"

"I haven't the faintest idea"

"He doesn't!" screamed Charlotte, desperate "Don't hurt him!"

"Oh no, girl, don't worry..." said, easily, Ludwig. I raised an eyebrow and looked at him, and asked "So, what do you plan to do? You can't really do much in your current state."

"Oh, yeah, remember the ice?" he asked.

We all looked at his legs. The ice had melted.

"I did it. And you are DAMN right, girl! I'm off!"

He pushed everyone away with a quick rolling kick, and then back flipped out of the window with supreme charm.

Duran nearly laughed until we heard some mess outside the castle. I ran at the window, and saw him running away into the darkness.

"Well" said Duran, regaining his composure. "I think we got a situation here..."

* * *

_Author Notes:_

_Well, the end of the first chapter. Actually chapters 0 and 1. I don't know how to spell the cardinal number for zero._

_Yes, Ludwig's a new character of mine, the main one from another history. Feel free to email me any questions, though, if everything goes alright, on my page you will find the answers for any questions you might have._


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2 (I) - Load -**

It wasn't obvious for Ludwig at first, but it was clear he wasn't at home.  
Any funny ideas of settling down with his parents on Break Point, helping rebuilding the Academy and finally getting Lise to be his girlfriend were nothing but a lie, a lie he said to himself. He knew he was going to die He knew that was his destiny.

But he didn't felt death growling to his ear. He only saw the penetrant eye of the Deatheye looking at him, telling him to die. He didn't felt the hit of pavement when he fell from the building.

He didn't felt anything _at all_.

When he woke up, he only felt wind. Gentle wind, caressing his face, and keeping him sane. The landscape before his eyes was impressive: He was lying on the greenest grass he had seen ever, lit by the brightest sun ever seen,  
and on the edge of a cliff, highest than anything he could think of.

He was inspired by the beauty before his eyes. It's been a certain while since he ever thought about things as "beautiful". Probably since he noticed how much of a loser he was, as being involved with two girls he never wanted to be, and found out that he didn't had anything with Lise.  
Of course, it was the truth that it wasn't his fault exactly.

'It isn't my fault to be so damn attractive'

He was so confused, and his ears weren't listening to his surroundings.  
He only felt an strong arm, a weapon, and five funny female guards who looked like valkyries from his books. They took him, and carried him to a castle. He agreed, thinking about how hot they were, and how funny it was to be chained with five girls dressed in leotards.

* * *

"I am such an idiot" he mumbled to himself. Ludwig cursed over and over again, dodging or killing the people or monsters who stood on his path.  
He knew that there was a reason from him to be on this place, but he didn't quite knew what was it.

He could think of four reasons:  
1.- The Time Vortex threw him somewhere in the planes randomly.  
2.- He was dead, and this was hell.  
3.- He was asleep and in coma.  
4.- The Time Vortex sucked everything including himself, the plague,  
the crystal, and a helluva lot of different things, and was going to unleash a destruction wave and a grudge of a war that it was all for themselves, and he was going the one who would surface triumphant, while he would be eating a twinkie.

Of course, part of it was that he was very unbalanced mentally, and the twinkie was that he was very hungry.

Out of a guard's clothes, he wiped the blood and put them on. He couldn't go around dressed like he was, as he would seriously look very strange. Finally, and very luckily, he found some golden coins on the dead man's pouch. He stood for awhile at the outsides of a town, unsure of his aspect. After gathering his courage, and helping a drunk man get up - a sure sign that this place wasn't very different from his own Break Point -, he entered the Inn, ate, and escaped on a ship, not knowing its destination, instantly falling asleep.

* * *

_Death..._

_The sound of death, crawling to your ears, to your mind, piercing your reality. It is going to reach you whenever you go. You can't escape from your destiny. It is your fate to fight against them FOREVER._

He woke up, breathing hard, and scared. The monsters on his dreams were the same he saw and fought once on his homeland. Looking to the sea, he could see them everywhere. He felt surrounded. Lucid on a moment, he saw his face on the water. His long hair, hanging, very dirty. He didn't had Michelle around to take care of it for him.

"Seasick, my friend?"

Ludwig turned around, sweaty, and tired, he looked at the man. "What?"

"Are you seasick?" the man answered. Ludwig took a second to detail him. He was the typical seaman you would see with a parrot on his shoulder.  
Ludwig made several attempts before answering, and, quickly, left a few words come out "No really"

Amused, the seaman laughed and asked "Oh you kids always need to show off some supposed strength!"

"Leave him alone, old man!" This voice came from a girl, who looked about fifteen or sixteen, who pushed the old man aside. She had very long red hair, big black eyes, and very clear face. She looked like a doll.

She continued "Was he bothering you? He is always annoying people around!"

"Not really."

The girl smiled, and threw her hand to Ludwig. "My name's Jessica!Nice to meet you!".

"Ludwig Crowbane" the Hell Knight Answered coldly.

"You aren't from these parts, right?"

"No."

A bit put off from his response, she turned around, and looked at the vast sea. A few birds, and the immense blue sea. "It's beautiful,  
right?"

"Indeed. From where I come from, the sea isn't this peaceful. Is a good change." Ludwig decided to continue the conversation, since the girl was friendly, and he needed a break.

"What do you mean by peaceful?"

"You can hardly go in a ship and look at the sea this way. There are many monsters on the sea. Many secrets on it, some are too big to be kept down."

"You fool! There are no monsters in the sea!"

"Maybe you just haven't seen them"

"Yay! That would be great! But, come on! Is... wait! What on earth is this thing?".

Ludwig felt the girl taking out the Deatheye. "Wait a minute. It could be too heavy for you. I will show it to you."

Ludwig Unsheathed the sword. Bright, dark, sadistic, diabolic. The kind of weapon you would usually avoid touching. Jessica was startled with it, but refused to touch it "No way! It might burn me!"

"Don't be silly, girl!"

"Well, anyway! I'll be around. I live in Byzel. Come visit me later if you have the time. I think you don't have too much time to spend,  
as I see."

"But..." Ludwig sheathed the sword back, and looked at her big black eyes. She was very cute, though her 'cuteness' was almost too sweet to digest. "... where is Byzel?"

"Okay, dumbass. We _are_ heading to Byzel. In fact, we are just arriving. Wanna stay for dinner?"

"It would be wonderful."

"All righty then!"

* * *

_"Don't believe your eyes. Believe in the eyes of everyone else."_

* * *

**CHAPTER 2 (II) - Reload -**

Byzel is a port city at the southwest of Forcena, dedicated entirely to the commerce. Is very prosperous, having the black market, and being the most important dealer with Forcena. Many people consider it, rightfully, the center of the industries on the world.

Jessica drove him around, and they reached her house. After a few minutes, Jessica's parents arrived, and they were a bit surprised by their girl's new friend. More alike, the guy who just entered his house wasn't exactly the kind of people you would take with you everyday, but they decided to trust their girl's judgment, and trust the guy as well.

"So, Ludwig, do you have any occupation?" asked, nervous, Jessica's mother.

"I'm an student. I was going to graduate as a knight." he commented.

"oh, so you are an scholar. You must be a very intelligent person. It's great to dedicate a life to discover the eternal knowledge that's hidden." Ludwig looked at Jessica's father. He seemed a very wise man,  
with glasses, and a deep sight. He, on his own, smiled, and continued:  
"But, how old are you, Ludwig? You seem young to be a knight."

"Eighteen years old, just obtained. I had to study another year though,  
to be a knight."

"Well, you look younger than you are."

"I've heard that one a lot." And he wasn't lying.

_But I don't get it. How can these people let me inside their house? I would be a lot more cautious with people with weapons inside my house._  
_And Jessica... what's her idea with me?_

"Are you hungry, Ludwig?"

He lifted his view, finding the pleasant face of Jessica's mother looking calmly at him, reassuring her trust. For a moment, he felt the urge of unsheathing his sword, cutting her head in half, destroying the house, and fleeing again.

But he just smiled and replied "Yes. Am I invited?"

"Of course".

Jessica's voice was constantly heard during the dinner. From her chat,  
he understood that Jessica wasn't a normal girl anyway, she was a traveler, who seek the location of some "Mana Stones". She spoke of great wonders, fearful monsters and great heroes, from which he picked a name he had heard in Rolante, "Duran".

He was attracted to her. She was a beautiful girl, small, thin, but very interesting. Even more, her mind was infinite, her ideas vast,  
and her resources endless. He was impressed by her travels, and the idea of wandering this world didn't seemed as stupid as before.

The voice surprised him: "Ludwig, how is your homeland?"

It was a cruel question to ask now.

"Desolate. It was when I left."

"Why?" asked Ted, Jessica's father.

"It's a long history."

Knowing it wasn't polite to continue it, they changed the subject, and talked over glasses of wine for a good time.

_Desolate is a good adjective._

_It was almost lifeless._

After a good hour of drinking and talking, Jessica's parents got up and went to do their own stuff, leaving Ludwig and Jessica alone.  
They stood silent for a minute, and Jessica broke the ice between two glasses of wine.

"You don't really seem to like this place."

"I do. In fact, I like your house. Is very comfortable, and your parents are good people." he responded, forced to say it. He wasn't in place to complain.

"I'm talking about Forcena."

Ludwig was surprised, but he didn't showed it physically. He didn't wanted to show it. "I just don't feel safe here."

"Why, Ludwig?"

"Because I feel this place is gonna be attacked like my home."

"What happened in your home?"

"It's a long history, believe me."

"It doesn't matters to me."

* * *

_"A man is never dead as long as he has an history, and someone willing to listen to him."_

**J.R.R Tolkien**

* * *

**CHAPTER 2 (III) - Blast off -**

"I CANNOT BELIEVE IT!"

"Calm down, Duran, we have to find this guy, don't lose control, we don't need another berserker around."

Riesz tried uselessly to calm Duran, who was very annoyed by Ludwig's escape. They had the information of Ludwig escaping on a ship, but,  
however, no one knew where the ship went.

"I SIMPLY CAN'T STAND IT!"

"Okay, big guy, shut up! *SLAP*" Riesz slapped him. Hawk started laughing,  
Charlotte smiled, and Angela sighed furiously. "Okay, are you guys willing to listen to me?"

The silence was the answer. Riesz brushed her hair backwards, and left it fall again to his face. Unfamiliar with the situation, her bright green eyes shone, and her mind worked at light's speed.

"Let's split!"

"Great strategy, Star Lancer..." Hawk was disappointed by Riesz idea, but,  
deep inside, he knew he wouldn't have any better idea.

"Okay! You, Duran, you go to Forcena."

"All right, ma'am" Duran raised his browns, and looked down. 'What the hell... I ain't got anything to do'

The queen of Rolante continued giving instructions, slightly tense,  
because she knew that either Hawk, Angela or Carlie would be completely impotent against Ludwig. Beside, she didn't wanted to hurt him, that word "pity" was still piercing her mind, and knowing that he wasn't here to hurt anyone, even though he had already killed five guards.

The bright grasslands surrounding Forcena would be watched by the Paladin, Duran. He would guard the lives of everyone as he always has done.

The eternally dark Moonlight Forest would be scouted by the Star Lancer,  
Riesz. She wanted to visit Kevin's tomb as well. Charlotte would go with her, as she was the one who carried the Wind Drum, used to summon Flammie, the Father of the Winds, if anything happened.

The frozen plains and islands of the Altenan Kingdom would be visited by the Magus, Angela. The Queen of Reason would be of use now, as her wisdom would be needed now.

Finally, the Wanderer Hawk would go to the scorching deserts of Navarre, looking for any clues.

**CHAPTER II (IV) - Lost Memories -**  
-

When Hawk arrived at Sultan, he was freaking out. He was dealing with an overload of sensations and feelings, that he was indeed sweating cold. He hadn't put a feet on Navarre ever since he left Jennifer four years ago, and his throat was dry wih the ideas.

It had seen very few changes on these years. It was the same old dusty desert. But it was different. He couldn't call it home anymore. He was an stranger.

Even when Niko found him and held him, surprised by his visit, he felt like an stranger. He felt out of place. For the first time in several years, he felt alone.

* * *

Angela was playing with her underlings when she arrived. Altena had become a very cold place ever since the Mana withered out, and the magic of Valdera wasn't enough to hold it warm. The people, however,  
worked harder than ever, probably trying to warm their bodies with the flames of hope.

The extensive frozen plains were a beautiful sight to an Angela tired of the ever growing trees and hot weather of Forcena. The Queen of Reason,  
her Mother, watched her daughter, proud of what had became of her.

"So, tell me, how has your marriage gone?"

"It's been the same since you visited me. A lot of work. A lot of fame to administrate. A Kingdom to defend. It's not the fairy tale I wanted,  
but is great. A kid. A new life." Angela Sighed, tired of her own emotion "I'm still in love with the man I married, Mother. I couldn't ask for more."

"I'm envious. Your father wasn't as good as Duran."

"Mother, have you heard the news from Rolante?"

Valda made a face, and answered "No. What is the matter?"

* * *

Riesz and Charlotte investigated the eternal darkness of the Moonlight Forest. The moon was the only light, and the corpse of Dolan was still there. The tomb of Kevin was still there.

Charlotte understood Riesz's wordless beg, and she split to Mintos.

Kevin. The Death Hand of The Beast Kingdom. The last of its race.  
The last one who died at the jaws of the giant Midgard Serpent,  
Jormmungand. The last beastman. A cursed line which was destined to their own doom ever since it was created.

She knelt at his grave, and, tears in eyes, faced her past once again. She ripped the brisks of grass from his tombstone, and,  
finally, fell down, crying desperate.

Why? She didn't knew exactly. She just felt like crying at his grave.

"Your life was wasted... for nothing..."

She missed him. She just felt tired of her own life, and she wanted so much to see him, to hold him, to tell him everything. Her life was breaking apart, it wasn't the same as before, she felt like her marriage was rushed. She couldn't leave her lost love die in peace.  
She needed him.

Her cries of sadness were violently cut by Charlotte's voice "Riesz!  
Call Flammie! Something's not right at Byzel!"

* * *

Duran entered Byzel in the middle of a confusion. Everyone seemed familiar to him, and he felt lost in the multitude. He felt, for a moment, scared of being the same as everyone else, to lose his status.  
It was the same feeling of being a mindless slave.

His search was fruitless. He sat at the inn, asking questions, and drinking. He was certainly annoyed by this idea of this guy playing with him and his friends.

"Hey! Duran!" This was a familiar voice. This was a girl he met at Forcena a few weeks ago, a little thin girl named Jessica.

"Hey, Jessica, how have you been?"

"fine, thanks! How about you?"

"Well, tired. Look, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure!"

Duran took out a drawing of Ludwig, and showed it to Jessica: "Have you seen this guy?"

Jessica's smile changed to an scare "Why?"

"This guy's dangerous. He escaped from Rolante yesterday, and we need to take him back as soon as possible."

"No!" Jessica screamed "You can't be telling the truth!".

"Jessica, wait a second, have you seen him, you know where is he?" asked, startled, Duran, getting up from his chair, following an scared Jessica, who was walking back to get far from the Paladin, as if she feared he could do something to her. "JESSICA!" Duran growled.

"Don't touch her."

Black eyes, bright clear and long hair, black clothes, an scar on his left arm, and an enormous weapon on his right hand. Ludwig pointed his sword to the Paladin, ready to battle. "Don't push it, Paladin,  
I'm not joking".

Duran unsheathed his sword, and smiled "I'm not gonna hurt HER. I'm going to hurt _YOU_" The two warriors exchanged glares, and breathed slowly, trying to avoid losing the other.

"Show me what you got. This time is me, not anyone else." Duran suggested. His grin faded away, and his sword moved from side to side.  
"I have been waiting for this since yesterday."

"You don't want me to do so."

"Yes, I do"

"No, wait, wait a second! You gotta be joking!" Jessica stood behind Ludwig as they moved around the inn despite the begging of the inn keeper of leaving the place to avoid anymore destruction. "You, Duran, put that thing away, and you, Ludwig, don't tell me you're a runaway killer or something like that because this isn't helping our relationship, you know, and I'm FUCKING scared, and I can't help thinking that you are more than you have told me, because your history is far too exciting to be a lie you made up to get laid with me, and-"

"Shut up, Jessica." He responded.

"What?"

"He told you to shut up, and is the first wise thing he has done in the last few days." added Duran.

"Okay! i'm OUTTA HERE!" she shouted, and left the inn.

* * *

The air was charged with tension, and the two men were adjusting their strength to strategically adapt to the situation. The swords' bright metal was about the only light source to the night, and their eyes,  
burning with the passion of fighting. Their souls, excited with the idea of the battle. Their weapons, ready to unleash their edges.

Duran jumped to the Hell Knight, who blocked his strike with his own sword, replying with a punch to his stomach. Duran kicked Ludwig on his right cheek, sending him back, and continued with another swing which cut his right arm. Ludwig once again sent his sword, hitting Duran's face, cutting his face. The two warriors stopped for a second to check on their scars, and continue their battle.

More defensive, Ludwig scored hits by counterattacking, while Duran had the initiative. Duran finally managed to get the Deatheye away with his shield, and hit Ludwig with several punches, and tried to pierce him,  
failing, and gifting Ludwig with a precious second to think. He didn't thought about it much, and he sent a roundhouse to his chest, sending him against a wall, which failed to stop his flight, and broke down,  
leaving the Paladin to land outside the house.

"I see that you definitely have much more than what you usually show,  
kid. I wanted to test you... Holy powers who roam the darkness in search of truth and courage... give me the power to eradicate the evil which defiles the spirit of Mankind... SAINT SABER!"

Duran glowed and his sword was suddenly of the whitest white Ludwig had ever seen before. When the light faded out, Duran's sword was certainly bigger, and shone with clean white light.

"Surprised?"

"No really. Now is my turn..." Ludwig raised his sword, and began to made a whirlwind above his head, while he kept his eyes closed.  
In a second, he buried his sword on the floor, and he whispered "Dark Banishment" and a sudden fountain of energy came out of the floor surrounding him, forming an energy wave all in five meters around him. It hit Duran, again sending him several meters away.

"Funny trick..."

"And you haven't seen anything yet."

"I don't care" Duran jumped towards Ludwig, who tried to block his sword, but the Deatheye was impotent against the strike, and the Paladin managed the hit.

"Now, you should be surprised" joked Duran.

Jessica, above the castle walls, watched the battle, helpless to stop it. She was clearly longing for an answer, she felt like in the middle of a war which didn't included her. On one side, was the Paladin, the warrior which everyone trusted and loved, but on the other was Ludwig,  
whom she had just met, but she found him as trustful and rather...  
attractive. She felt like she had to go down and stop it, but she was scared, as the power which was shown down there was certainly far beyond her strength.

Then, she heard it.

The sound of death. She didn't knew how did it heard like, but she heard it. She turned around, and knew everyone had listened it too. Jessica then located her view to the entrance of the city, and saw a mass of creatures walking towards the city.

'What on earth is that thing?'

Down there, the battle was still raging. The heat of it, however, was suddenly cooled when several screams were heard. Several women were screamed as a mass of monsters were attacking the city.

Duran watched the mass of enemies. They seemed like undead, but of a kind he never saw before. After giving a quick glance at Ludwig,  
he announced "I would like to slice you up, but I haven't time to waste."

"You're right."

Duran ran at the people, helping the ones who were being already attacked,  
but he couldn't help but find them very rare, he hadn't seen them, and he was kind of worried.

Ludwig climbed the Wall, and carried Jessica away "You shouldn't be here!"

"What is going on, Ludwig? This seems strangely like the thing you told me! That plague and stuff, don't leave me here, tell me what's going on?"

"I think it's them! We have to go away!"

"You can't leave Duran to his own death down there!"

Ludwig looked at him. "Are you sure?"

"Of course! Everyone else can escape, but that guy will stay there until the end of all of it!"

"Don't you understand, Jessica? THERE IS NOT END FOR IT!"

Jessica bit her lip, and, once again, asked "Please help him!".  
Ludwig thought about it for a few seconds, and looked at the paladin as he struggled for his life, and smiled. Probably it was a funny way of killing someone who was so annoying to him, but, on a moment of lucid mind, he agreed "All right. If he becomes funny I'll leave him to die!"

"I'm happy" replied Jessica.

Ludwig jumped down, and began slicing monsters. Some of them were known to his ideas, like the long-handed ones, but some of them were new, mostly the ones who seemed to sport high-tech enhancements.

He stood for a moment watching a single enemy, who was some sort of horror, with the face of a twisted man, trapped inside a block of metal, with four bio-mechanical legs, and four arms. Its fingers ended in long and thin spikes. It was truly a fearsome enemy, as Duran was knowing by the moment. He felt somewhat worried as blood was covering most of the beast, but he figured out that it was its own blood.

Ludwig sent a violent strike at the monster, making it lose its balance,  
and falling down. He pushed Duran back, and announced "Get the hell out of here, you ain't going anywhere this way!".

"What do you say?" he asked, incredulous of seeing Ludwig saving him.  
Jessica's screams woke him up, and suggested a quick retreat. Followed by a general disorder, Ludwig, Jessica and Duran escaped the city on the same ship that brought the first two to Byzel.

Jessica left out a sigh of relief when she saw her parents on the ship,  
while Duran faced Ludwig:

"You know much more of what you have told us!" he demanded an explanation.

"I told you this place wasn't safe! That thing you saw was the same thing that has killed me _twice_! I'm DAMN sure that's the BLACK PLAGUE!"

Puzzled by the response, Duran took an step back, and he felt the air revolving behind him. It was Flammie, who carried Hawk, Riesz and Charlotte. Was notable the sudden vanish of Angela, who decided to stay in Altena with her mother for some days.

"What do you mean by 'twice'?"

"Well, now your friends are here. If you are willing to listen to me. I'll tell you an history you won't probably believe..." he announced, as he sat down on the floor.

* * *

_"Hope is the one crop that can grow in any climate"_

**- Mulch (Stronghold edition)**

* * *

**CHAPTER II (V) - Lost Memories II -**  
-

I was truly waiting to die.

To be honest, I waited to die ever since I knew of my purpose in life.

I woke up one day lucid of a dream which showed the history of a warrior in a group of warriors named "Death Strike Klan". After all, I study in an Academy which trains me into a knight, so there is little to complain.  
It wasn't normal when I noticed that the warrior was myself.

It might be hard to believe, but I was supposed to be the reincarnation of the original Lord Ludwig about 70 years ago before I was born. I found this out slowly, and later I realized that I was out to stop a massive undead army with no leader and no goals, nicknamed the Black Plague by someone who I didn't care to found out.

It might have been nice and easy once I discovered my own powers as well as my friends', but two more members of this group appeared. One of them was a chaotic guy who was truly insane, and, to my surprise, and for some twisted reason developed his strength beyond limits. The other was a person who in fact survived the other black plague, and lived about one hundred years using his magic to stay at the 19 years. I killed him. And I enjoyed it since I hated him.

Furthermore, five guys named the Elemental Masters appeared to make things harder for me. Thanks to a big city named Blind Point,  
we were able to kill them, well, one of them died not by our hand,  
but that's not the point. Blah. However, this darned Blind Point was experimenting with some thing which created an space in the time and space, allowing them to effectively travel through time.  
It was a madness, and the plague reached Blind Point finally, and after a helluva war, Michelle, Lise and me managed to destroy it.  
Oh, thanks to a thing named the Crystal Cyclix, which enhanced our powers, and allowed us to take it out in one swift hit.

Funny isn't it?

I suspect that vortex was the one which threw me here. And the plague.  
And probably things from somewhere else.

"We have to stop it."

The four heroes stood with their jaws open, not really understanding or believing what the heard.

Jessica, out of the shock, asked "Who are these Michelle and Lise?"

Riesz, out of the shock, asked "What the hell is supposed to happen now?"

* * *

_"Forsaken by destiny_

_forsaken by my own mind_

_I must remove my skin_

_to see belief in your eyes"_

"**Resurrection**" - Fear Factory (Obsolete).

* * *

_Author Notes:_

_Yeah! The PLAGUE ATTACKS!_

_You might believe this is gonna end in a disaster. Well, you are sort of near. It will end in a total disaster. Haha. Don't worry, I'm not spoiling anything for you._

_Well, so much for the second chapter. Yay!_


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3 (I) - Evolution = Pain -**

The group of four heroes as well as Jessica stood looking, still resisting to believe such an enormous amount of nonsense which was coming out of a mentally challenged man like Ludwig. Under the moonlight, the red coming from his arm was becoming a dark purple which matched his eyes. The mass of monsters still wrecking havoc in the port were still at sight.

Under the moonlight, and stunned by the scars on his body, he began losing his senses slowly, until he fell unconscious on Jessica's legs. Jessica didn't complain, and asked the group "What do you think?".

"That's unbelievable!" Condemned Hawk. He looked at the boy, and sighed forcefully "You seem to like this guy! Look at you!".

Jessica laughed, and nodded "Don't be silly! By the way, may I ask who are you?".

Duran answered quickly "These are my friends: Hawkeye of Navarre, Riesz of Rolante and Carlie of Wendel, who I bet you know as she's the Priest of the world."

While Charlotte worked as quickly as she could to heal Ludwig's wounds, Jessica told the group how she met him. Based on her tale, the guy couldn't be so much as a psychotic killer as he was a regular young man thrown into something he wasn't really able to handle.

Only Charlotte stood silent at the situation.

"I believe him"

Everyone looked at the Priestess. Riesz asked "What do you mean?".

"I believe him Riesz. His story is the closest thing to a coherent argument to explain that sudden appearance of monsters in Byzel. It was a few creatures attacking but I'm bound to believe that's only the start of it... And I can foresee no ending for that."

The group offered no other answer than more silence and puzzled looks.

Jessica spent the rest of the night taking care of Ludwig's uneasy sleep, occasionally joined by Carlie, while Riesz and Duran went to warn Forcena of the army of monsters racing against the capital, which had mysteriously vanished from sight after the whole port city was overrun. Ludwig constantly spoke on his sleep and his wounds opened several times due to the constant movement of his body, still oozing dark blood and getting both girls equally messy and freaked out. Hawk merely laughed, amused, at their lack of luck.

* * *

In the middle of a heavy electrical storm and a never-ending rain, Riesz and Duran joined the scouting mission to Byzel, which returned with the empty word of a devastated city and ultimately void of life or any semblance of it. The dead bodies had been mutilated and butchered and the dead monsters seemed to have a ridiculous degeneration rate, reducing them to dust before any information could be catched from it.

Riesz' cold eyes seemed to wallow in this landslide. Assaulted by the memories of the Dark Lich assault on Wendel three years ago, and a couple of tears stained her cheeks. It was painful enough to connect this to that slaughter,  
but Kevin's memories were probably even harder to face.

The Death Hand, the powerful fighter, the one who managed to break her will in two and catch her almost by coincidence with his innocence. It was almost haunting to remember how captivating was his ingenuity...

"Riesz? Are you Okay?"

Riesz turned around to watch Duran, totally oblivious to her pain. "Very distasteful, isn't it?".

"Quite indeed Paladin"

"I don't think there is much to be done here, but please give the deceased a decent burial for crying out loud, I will lead the services!" Duran shouted and commanded the group, who given to bury them in the outsides of the city. The borders of the city were indeed forced to enter, and dead animals stood there as well, making the labors almost unbearable.

As Duran finished the funeral services, Riesz, who out of respect simply decided to stay far away from there, sat down on a rock, contemplating the sea, and not minding the heavy rain pouring down. The immensity of the sea was always a puzzle for the Star Lancer ever since she first set sail at the age of sixteen, for the very first time, escaping from the Navarre assassins Bill and Ben, and looking for her lost brother. Infinite and dark, infinitely dark was the sea from her perspective, and she had yet to overcome her fear of the sea.

Duran approached and sat down by her side "What troubles you, Riesz?"

"Do you remember Kevin?" she shoot point-blank.

A bit surprised, he replied "Yeah, of course, but why the question?".

"It's nothing... it's just... this massacre reminds me of the massacre at Wendel, three years ago, when... well, when Kevin died. I don't know, I'm overly confused, I thought that was it, the Dark Lich down,  
the Demon Prince killed and the Dragon Emperor eradicated, and we paid the price, Kevin gave his life to kill Heath... I just feel like we don't deserve this one, there is too much going on, things slipped away..."

Duran put his hand on her mouth "Riesz, nothing has happened yet. Stop complicating everything. I doubt this is anything of importance. Merely a bunch of coincidences and a charismatic kid with an attitude, okay?  
Trust me on this one."

Nervous but comforted, she nodded, and held him. "Please be careful."

* * *

_"The Ingredients for panic include equal parts danger, uncertainty and helplessness"_

**Bola Warrior (Nemesis**)

* * *

**CHAPTER 3 (II) - Cursed Blood -**  
-

Still unconscious, Ludwig was brought to Forcena a few hours after the return of the scouting party in order to be interrogated and probably jailed for his crimes. No one really knew what his crimes were, but hell was there to pay.

Forcena was still a marvelous city.

Forcena was probably the place to live in the world. There was a time tha Forcena was simply to risky to live since the Dragon Emperor had some kind of connection to the place that wasn't explained. After the destruction of Pedan, somehow the menace seemed to stop, and the place became quickly repopulated, making it the most prosperous city.

It didn't have the military power of Rolante.  
It didn't have the exotic attraction of Altena.  
It didn't have the wealth of Navarre.

But it was the best place to settle and live a relatively normal life.

The people at Forcena were counted to be at least 600 thousand, which was more than enough to say it was damn populated. The Castle indeed was the key to know it, it looked imposing, not unlike Rolante's, but it was also fancy, it was a dream to see. It was so unreal, the casual viewer couldn't probably shut his mouth for a first sight. Home to the Paladin and the Magus, Forcena was a point to be noted.

People accumulated to see the stranger in the castle, and the Gold Knights had to work hard to keep them out. Duran eventually got out and explained what they knew:

"Well, blessings to you all.

There is not much to be said yet. He's a gifted warrior, a very good one. However, there is no proven stuff to relate him to the attack at Byzel. So, he's innocent until proven guilty. That would be all for now"

The Paladin left in the wake of a hundred different questions and even more flying inside his head. There was too much to be answered and Ludwig didn't seem to help. As he walked towards the nursing room,  
located in the basement, he thought about it all, about Ludwig, the undead menace, the coincidences on his arrival... and Kevin.

* * *

Riesz watched over Ludwig's - and Carlie's - sleep, taciturn and stern, like judging them both for their actions. While it wasn't fair,  
she was being suspicious of Ludwig's true intentions and his appearance out of thin air was absurd. For the many theories she had, the one which made sense the most out of them all was that he was an unlikely sleeper agent sent by the only enemy still potent while dead, the Demon Prince.  
But it was still pretty unlikely, and speculation is, as she had learned with the years, one of the worst enemies of civilization.

Hawkeye entered the room and gifted his wife with a kiss and a cup of coffee, as well as news from Altena: "It's a letter, sweetheart"

Lazily, she took the letter and opened it, and began reading for her and Hawk:

"Dear friends (and husband!):

My mom has spent time on her huge library to find out anything she could about the attack on Byzel, and, amazingly, she succeeded.  
Obviously she rocks.

There have been documents about plane traveling being forbidden due to constant interferences of sorts by a particular plane. Since the wizards have never succeeded, we don't know if this is true or false,  
but sudden appearances (and disappearances) are also documented. Most of these invaders, or so to speak, have been killed... except one. Hold on to your seats, for this one was Belgar.

The Dark Lich.

He was taken care by the Priest of Light - Charlotte's grandfather -  
and trained by him. Eventually, as it says, he was overtaken by the 'planar despair', a mega-flu of sorts which drives people insane.  
By the time, however, he was way too powerful to be stopped, and the only thing they could do was to cast a powerful domination spell ('Dementation') to drive him out of his mind, and, they hoped,  
catatonic. He just kinda disappeared afterwards.

Well, this is all I can tell you by now, I'll be there by Shade day.

Hugs and kisses, Angela Princess of Altena"

They both exchanged stranged looks.

"What do you think this means? That Ludwig is the harbinger of the undead attacks?" asked, kind of incredulous, Hawk. Riesz answered with a glare and replied "No". Then she looked at the person sleeping on the bed, a short guy with blonde hair and a huge scar on his left arm.

"There is just no way for this person to be such a monster like Belgar was. It's ridiculous. And you've seen him, he saved Duran and Jessica on Byzel, and he faced the attack without hesitating to escape. It's absurd to think that he could be even evil."

Hawk looked at his wife, very worried. She had taken a liking to this stranger, and it wasn't jealousy, it was something else. She was protecting him for whatever reason and she wasn't giving him any hints of why was she doing that.

Cutting his thoughts was the sound of the door, which revealed Jessica, whom hadn't slept since she met Ludwig and was equally disturbed by everything, furthermore, her lack of any serious experience unlike the five remaining heroes of the sword left her defenseless at this. She entered and sat down on the dark brown couch and sighed.

"Jessica, read this letter" Riesz handed the girl the paper. "I hope you know who the Dark Lich was."

"Yeah, Duran once told me the tale. A very sad one, by the way."

_Drowning on a sea of lies there isn't much you can do to swim to safety, is there? Holding on to a lie is simply useless, as you should know by now. There is no end to it, and one would think that by the third encounter with the Black Plague you would have learned at least that part. Oh well, not my problem. It isn't like it's my business anymore, lest Lise and Michelle would kill me out of simple boredom._

As Jessica read the letter - raising her eyebrows every other second -,  
Ludwig woke up violently, waking up Charlotte and prompting an always alert Riesz to point her spear at him.

After a few seconds of tense silence, he asked quickly "Where am I?".

"You're in Forcena, kid, and you have a lot to answer, and this time you ain't going anywhere" answered Hawk. Looking around, Ludwig didn't seemed the brash and abrasive guy they met back in Rolante, but instead a confused young boy.

"I am not going to try and escape now. I think you've seen more than enough to know anything. I don't really know what else is there to be said"

"Then what the hell does this means?" Jessica demanded as she threw him the letter. He grabbed it and opened it, reading it very quickly.

The four persons in the room looked at him, expecting something...

"Well, I have no idea..."

"O-o-okay..." said Hawk on a disappointed voice, while Jessica stormed out of the room. He watched her go, not understanding her anger, then turned at the others and asked "Anymore questions?"

"Well, you could start by explaining how you got to the Summit of the Skies" pointed Riesz.

"Dunno, I was falling out of a building while I watched the Time Vortex... FUCK, the TIME VORTEX! That's how I got there!" he screamed triumphant "Listen, there was this gal, a scientific... a scholar, who was experimenting with a time machine of sorts, but it went haywire, and eventually began sucking things out of that plane and throwing them anywhere... as it seems it threw me here. That's the only possible reason.  
She was hot as hell" He finished, smiling.

"I hope you understand when we don't understand you or believe you" said Hawk.

"I don't expect you to do it. I don't even hope for it. Psst..."

"I do believe you, Ludwig" said, reassuringly, Charlotte, putting a hand on his shoulder "I don't sense any lies on what you say".

"Good to know someone's being reasonable"

"What happened to that scholar anyway?" Asked, curious, Riesz.

"Oh well, I killed her after she tried to burn me alive"

After watching everyone's faces, Ludwig added "You don't know about what I went through to end it here. Don't give me that glare now."

The group looked at him, and shrugged, figuring out that if they are going to spend anymore time together, they would have to get used to this. Suddenly, the wound on Ludwig's left arm exploded in blood once again, and he grabbed it with his other hand, his face degenerated in pain. Charlotte jumped at him with her scepter to heal him, but all she managed was to stop the bleeding. He looked at her face, and noticed that she seemed very worried at this, and finally, she looked at him,  
and began talking:

"There is something I haven't said to anyone. Ludwig, the wound on your left arm, how was it caused?"

"A cursed sword impaled in there, why?"

"Well, let me try to get this... it won't heal. The flesh won't regenerate,  
and the wound might close on the outside, but on the inside, it's still open and damaged. Your blood has become bitter in taste and dark in color.  
It's simply not natural. I can't do much to help you, and believe me I tried. There is something else. Your muscle hasn't degenerated to the strike.  
It's still formed, but one might believe it's even becoming stronger and more developed the more the wound goes untreated. I don't know if it's dangerous, but I would recommend we keep a close eye on it, okay?"

She then caressed the wound and looked at Riesz. She exchanged the look, and then got up "Well, if there is nothing left to be said, I suggest we start looking for a real answer to this invasion-"

Her words were cut by a violent crash and pieces of wood flying everywhere. Screams and shrieks of pain were heard, and everyone armed themselves, while Hawk shouted "What the hell is going on out there?".

After getting not answer, he threw a little ball to the ground, and,  
Ludwig noticed how his skin became brighter each second, until it became, simply, translucent. Puzzled by this, he was slap out of his awe by the thought that Jessica was out there five minutes ago.

* * *

_"And thus the cursed one shall walk the earth once again _

_Cursed forever_

_ Marked forever_

_ Hated forever _

_Dead forever"_

Second sonnet of the **"Song of the Dark Ages"**

* * *

**CHAPTER 3 (III) - Dark Funeral - **

Hawkeye scouted the corridor, full of debris as well as a few dead bodies. Unnoticed by the passing guards, all armed and reaching out of the castle, he slipped around, until he faced the most monstrous thing he had ever seen on his life: a humanoid monster with skin which was made of chitinous scales, like those of an insect, armed with a blade on its right arm and a black shield on the other. The monster's head was a grotesque dark orange skull-like thing with to green bulbs to its sides, where you could guess there was a brain.

The thing slammed the guards like paper dolls, and when it impaled one with its blade, Hawk felt the hate rising up on him, and uncloaked in order to attack the enemy. Fortunately, another hero had heed the call of battle.

Duran jumped behind the monster to impale his Mana Sword on its back. It proved to be much more than just a challenge when it managed to turn around and stop the attack with its shield. Gracefully, Duran stept on the shield and using it as a support point, backflip and landed next to Hawk "I can't believe it but they are attacking Forcena! And it's definitely a larger and more organized strike force!" he announced.

"Wait a second, what do you mean by organized?"

The monster tried to hit both combatants with its blade but both of them evaded the attack strafing to their sides. Hawk replied with a powerful slash to the blade hand, while Duran tried unsuccessfully to break through its shield. Both attacks seemed not very effective, but they managed to confuse it, and, trying to hit Hawkeye with its shield, the thing left itself open to Duran, who thrusted his blade on the side of the monster. While it screamed in pain, Hawk took the moment to leave a mine attached to the monster, and both heroes ran a safe distance to see the monster explode and fall in two pieces.

A single and slow clapping sound came from the hole the beast had carved, and a voice congratulated the heroes "Oh well, you two are definitely good. You've managed to destroy an Scuta all by yourselves. Congratulations"

Alerted by a guard, the group formed now by Riesz, Charlotte and Ludwig stormed the corridor and out of the castle, where they met a very large and difficult to overcome attack force of undead and bio-mechanical menaces. Even Ludwig, who had supposedly seen them twice by now, was surprised by the size of the army standing outside, sending artillery to the castle.

Ludwig took out his sword, granted once again by Carlie, and pointed it at the mass of monsters shouting battle cries. He calmly whispered "Any known faces, ladies?".

"Yes", replied Riesz "The knights in red armor are, I believe, Duelists. We've already faced one two years ago".

"Well, girl, now we have to face twelve"

The Army of Forcena, mighty and powerful, stood outside, preparing to meet the enemy in battle. Shields, swords, spears and guts gathered to stop this menace. Perfectly trained by the Paladin, Duran himself, the whole army was fearless, well prepared and wouldn't turn back, not even now...

And so it begins...

The Duelists, acting as field generals, screamed in unison "Send the Negators!", almost at the same time, the defensive cannons of the Castle fired. The muting boom of the cannons distracted Ludwig for a second, and when the dust cleared down, four enormous mechanical monsters jumped from the Plague's files to attack the human army. One laid dead down.

One of them was directed at him.

Riesz jumped to meet them on the fly, Charlotte healed the wounded, and Ludwig simply stood, catching the monster with his face and being pushed back to the castle through a wall. Ludwig open up his eyes to meet a mechanical beast, three meters tall, black as night and with bright eyes, completely metallic body, with occasional sparks flying out of its articulations, many connections and immense strength standing just above him.

Using his sword as a balance point, he executed a sweep kick in order to get the thing out of his way as well as standing, hitting it in the left leg, and making it kiss the floor, breaking it as well as anything on its path.

"What on the earth are you?" he muttered, awed at the bio-mechanical wonder on the hallway.

"We exist to cease, Hell Knight. We are the Negators."

Much to his surprise, Ludwig found out the thing had answered him.

* * *

Clashing with the Negator in mid-air, Riesz successfully impaled it with her spear, but losing her momentum of her jump. Still on the air, she planted her feet on the offender, and used her mighty strength to push the thing to the floor. Both crash landed on the outsides of the castle, and she gracefully backflipped and landed on her own a few meters before the Negator. The monster got up and dashed towards the Star Lancer, who struck it once again with her spear, using her own boot as support, but she couldn't stop the running Negator from dropping her down this time.

Riesz kicked the thing, and a sudden deafening shoot hit the Negator fully on the chest, taking out its right arm, leg as well as good part of the rest of its body. Still "alive" it tried its best to get up, but it simply was torn apart. The other Negator was being shoot down as well by now.

Standing up, merely a hundred meters away, she now contemplated the incredible army of monsters, both undead and bio-mechanical, standing on the edge of the castle. They were at the very least five thousand of them, and while the cannons had already taken out at least 500 of them, the rest simply looked like the resting ammo for the cannons would not be enough. Standing over a enormous elephant-like robot, a Duelist commanded the plague to attack. For the first time in years, Riesz feared death.

"Star Lancer! Mistress!"

She turned up to see the worried face of a soldier "Fear not, mistress! You are not alone!", and after these words, the massive doors of the castle fell down with a crash, revealing the full army of Forcena shrieking out of the castle, running to the battle, led by the legendary Golden Knights, from where the mighty warrior Loki, father of Duran, once was part of. Riesz stood firm with her spear, and assumed her battling standing, joining the contingent sent to destroy the undead army.

On the chaos of battle, Riesz noticed how, while definitely tougher than humans and more reckless, their most dangerous asset was the fact that even broken down to pieces, they would keep fighting. She took on her wings to lead the army and to help her brethren. Taking a step forward,  
she turned and tore off the head of a zombie, while using the speed to kick another mechanical monster. She then noticed the powerful metal skinned elephant, who was trampling soldiers left and right.

"It's down!" She screamed as she ran towards the Stratadon, as the Duelists called them, and climbed upon it using cables and screws as support, and nailing her spear whenever none of them were available.  
Once on top of it, she confronted a Duelist. The damned knight didn't uttered word, instead, he simply jumped at her, sword first. She disrupted the thrust attack with her spear, and hit the enemy with the butt of it, followed by a roundhouse, which dropped the Duelist off the Stratadon, alive but now vulnerable to the more numerous human soldiers. She now looked for a vulnerable spot on the beast, and much to her chagrin, she didn't found one.

"Well, as someone once said, losers wait for opportunities, winners make their own..." and she forcefully tried to impale the beast several times, making small scratches on it. After thirty or so hits, the metal on it was broken, and she tore off the iron skin using all of her strenght, and then made disaster out of the circuits of the beast,  
which suddenly stopped walking, and after staggering from side to side,  
it fell to its right, splattering several hundred of undead as well as hitting another Stratadon, which, on a domino effect, also took out a few fellow monsters.

She jumped safely out of it, and smoothed her hair, while thinking "Where have I see something awfully similar? Perhaps an elf..."

Meanwhile, Charlotte worked hard to keep the monsters at bay, turning whichever of them were purely undead, and healing the fallen, alongside the group of priest acolytes in Forcena, which weren't many but at least they were competent. Disturbed by the fire of the artillery, she did her best to keep her mind sane while helping her sudden allies.

Until a thought crossed her mind "Hawk"...

* * *

Hawk and Duran were tired but above all throughly impressed by the figure in front of them. It was a tall, black-haired person with beard, who used a bastard sword, similar to Ludwig's, but shorter and without that eerie eye. His hair, not unlike Ludwig's, was awfully uncombed, and he sported a huge scar on his right arm.

In short, he looked like a mirror version of Ludwig, with black hair and a long black coat.

"Well, thanks, but who are you?" asked a confused Hawk.

"Well, well, that's not really important... though as a matter of facts I'd like to know as well... You see, I was... born or so to speak a few days ago. I was just kinda... awaken a from a long dream. And so, I can't really tell you my name, as I don't think I even have one. And anyway, dead people don't tell tales, not always at least"

The person attacked both warriors with a fighting style intensely offensive, which sort of calmed Duran as Ludwig's style was totally defensive.  
He, however, could handle both heroes flawlessly. Hawk tried to slash him on his throat, only to discover shocked how the man catched his arm on the middle of the strike while still sent his sword down Duran's legs. The Paladin took the full blade of the sword just below his knees, feeling and unbearable burning pain on them, and throwing himself to his knees, seeing the horrifying dark stream of blood coming out of his knees, as he chanted the words to heal his wound. Hawk, immediately, threw a kick to his enemy's face, hitting him fully on the chin, succeeding in freeing his arm from his grasp, and jumping way out of his reach.

The man threw his coat out, and turned to Duran, hitting him with the hilt of his sword in the face, rendering him unconscious. He then walked towards Hawk, who assumed the position and tried to think something quickly. He was stronger, quicker, and even bigger than him, and Duran was there, just within an inch of his death, and he was there, basically defenseless.

At least, he had a few tricks up to his sleeve.

"Now that was a lucky shoot, pal" Said the offender. He tried to smooth his hair, unsuccessfully, then raised his sword, and ran at him, and executing a long arched slash attack, hoping to finish the Wanderer for once.

The blade reached the floor with an audible clash. The man raised an eyebrow: there was no one there. He let out a sigh and looked at the whole hallways "Running away Wanderer? I thought killing you would be a more interesting task..".

"Whoever said you would kill me, butcher?"

A powerful stroke hit the black-robed knight on his stomach, and seconds later another on his face, finally one on his chest. Cursing in pain,  
the man grabbed his stomach and shrieked "Show yourself, you fucking coward! I'm beginning to think you're not even worthy of the dirks you're using against me, Wanderer!"

"Oh yes I am..."

A knife appeared out of thin air, and was impaled on the neck of the enemy. A burst of blood shoot out of the wound and hit something on the air. A human form then slowly appeared on sight "Very worthy, and very difficult to kill, buddy. Die now and leave us all in peace..." said Hawk, smiling on his victory.

The pain distorted face of the man changed into a huge grin "Why now? I mean, I have days of living and I have a whole world to know and conquer! I can't die now... wait a minute. I don't even *think* I can die at all!" he spat as he laughed out loud. He forcefully tore the knife out of his throat and looking at Hawk, who stood watching in shock once again at the abomination whom he thought he had killed, and uttered "But you can...".

A slash cut off the air and blood splattered in walls as the shadows showed a tall person laughing. The same laugh that sounded like death...

* * *

The battle raged on outside the castle of Forcena, and, for the most part, the battle was undecided. Most Stratadons were down,  
no more Negators were jumping around, and the Duelists were still commanding whatever legions of undead they had left, with Scutas on the front. Riesz and the Golden Knights battled against them, while Charlotte commanded both the healers and the artillery, trying to take out the remaining Stratadon, the Army still upheld its resolve to defend the castle at all costs.

"Well it is ENOUGH!" a thunderous voice announced. Mounting over Flammie, Riesz and Charlotte spotted a feminine figure above the dragon. Suddenly, the air was turned dark and heavy, and these words were uttered by the same thunderous voice:

"Powers of the universe power  
which reign over all  
we harness your power  
in exchange for our souls  
bring your wrath upon those unfortunate victims  
we point to you  
destruction paves your path  
destruction proves our worth  
destruction brings us the power  
to feed upon the doomed"

The figure moved her wand around, and pointed it at the dark legion...

"ANCIENT!"

Hundreds, thousands, and then millions of meteors struck down the battlefield, killing undead by the dozen, and destroying the last Stratadon. The Duelists, under this overwhelming disadvantage, turned their last units around, fleeing from sight in the blink of an eye, direction unknown.

* * *

The flaming Magus of Altena had saved the day. While the scattered remains of the Army of Forcena pulled themselves together, bowing while the Princess jumped down of the dragon, asking for the safety of her husband and her friends, as well as asking the whereabouts of Ludwig. After all the negative answers from Riesz,  
Charlotte announced her bad feelings about them all, and Riesz explained a bit:

"Well, last time we saw Ludwig he was, uh, flying through a wall.  
I have no idea about Hawk and Duran, let alone Jessica."

"Who the hell is Jessica" asked Angela.

"Well, a friend of Ludwig and Duran... but let us get moving now"

"And better quickly, friends..." said Carlie.

"What do you mean?" asked, concerned, Angela.

"I think they are in trouble."

The battle sounds inside the castle confirmed this speculation, and the three heroines ran inside the castle, looking out for any kind of life or unlife lurking in there. No one. Desperation began to form into Angela's heart, which took form upon tears from her eyes as well as sobbing, a cut up sobbing which tore Riesz' heart apart. Carlie, finally stopped "There is a presence in here that is very abnormal... it isn't a robot... neither is an undead. But it isn't human. It looks... it even feels like death itself."

"Very comforting, Carlie, could you be a little more expressive, because grudging it out with someone who feels like death isn't exactly the best information we could use right FUCKING now!" cursed Angela between tears. Riesz stopped her and took her face "They are okay. Trust me", but even herself didn't feel like that.

Then a laugh was heard.

"That's it" pointed Charlotte.

The three heroines turned the corridor to find a black-haired man,  
covered in blood standing over a unconscious Duran, and besides him a dead body... or rather two parts of it. Angela screamed when she recognized the severed torso as Hawk, the Wanderer from Navarre.

Riesz felt hate rising up on her, and gripped her lance tightly. What was left now to do? To die or to be killed, right? The pain inside her heart was turned into physical strength as she threw herself at the man, spear first, and nailed the monster from behind, and against a wall, leaving him impaled there.

"You bastard, you... BASTARD!" She screamed at the apparently inert dead body hanging on the wall "Y-you... YOU HAVE NO DAMN RIGHT TO NOTHING! WHAT GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO KILL HIM! what... what- WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU? WHO THE HELL YOU ARE?"

Riesz took the spear and twisted it around to cause more pain to the man. Much to her surprise, the man not only shrieked in pain, but it even took grip of his sword and threw it back to hit the Starlancer. She evaded the strike on instinct, and she watched how the man took the spear, pulled it out of his back, and stood on his feet, glaring the group.

"Well, well... I thought I had heard that I could have been 'death itself', am I wrong or right? So I can kill whoever I please, and that included that rogue, and this knight, and you three honeydrops. And I think I will start with you, sweetie..."

"Dream about it, monster" replied Riesz.

Suddenly, the man, grabbed his head in pain for a second. Then, without a second word, disappeared. The three women stood in awe for another second, Angela cursed under her breath, and they all rest for a moment now.

Angela, in a state of shock woke up Duran, who was pale and weak from the loss of blood, and Carlie also shocked healed his wounds.

Riesz broke down crying.

* * *

_"Nothing comes together as easily as it comes apart"_

**Boneknitter (Onslaught)**

* * *

_Author Notes:_

_Well... it happened._

_I know the ending is kinda abrupt but I wanted to keep the chapters as small as possible, and since Ludwig's personal adventure with the Negator hasn't ended by the time that sad moment happens, well, I find it interesting to cut it here. Besides, cut the Starlancer some slack and let her cry for a while._

_And I know someone's missing. I'm not cutting off staff just like that. Wait. I am. Oh well. But not that someone._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 (I) - Eternal Struggle -**

Completely oblivious to the pain drowning the hearts of the heroes of the sword, only two things were bouncing on Ludwig's head: The Negator he was facing sword to hand and face to face, who was more than capable of killing him should he ever let his guard down. The Negator had trampled him, mauled him, kicked him, punched him, and even threw him against a wall. Ludwig had tried cutting it dry, punching and kicking it, tried to cut off its head and even bit it at some point but the thing was definitely tougher than anything he had faced before. Both fighters were slightly downed by the fight, but only five minutes had passed and Ludwig was totally healthy save the bleeding on his left arm and the Negator appeared to be unharmed. The fight had just started.

The other thing on his head was Jessica. He felt sort of responsible from bringing her into this mess and leaving her alone.

Looking the eyes of the Negator, he thought of her. Jessica, young, bright,  
smart, brave, talented... she seemed quite unreal. Sometimes, he thought,  
the girls he had always liked had been unreal. Michelle was exactly like that... except she was a bit pessimist. Lise was just like that as well,  
except she was dominant and annoying sometimes... There had to be a black dot on Jessica's profile...

"Oh well, she is kinda immature."

Ludwig laughed as he smoothed his hair and the Negator looked dazed. He took a grip of his sword, and motioned with his left hand "Come and get me, monster".

The Negator obliged and ran at him, unstoppable as he had done already twice. Ludwig had seen this before. Once he threw him against a wall,  
trampling him, and the next he imitated it, and they both crashed heavily, thought the Negator superior speed and bulk - thought on the outside it seemed rather light, as it looked like a thin armor floating on the air - won him the fight and threw him down once again. With the speed of lightning, he figured out a solution. He knelt, and using his own body and strength as pillars, he reminded the story he once was told by a teacher, where the hunter killed the bear using its own weight against it. Using it as an example, he impaled his sword on the Negator, using all his might to stand.

The speed of the robot was even greater this time, and he failed to hold it at bay. He fell on his back, but he stood with his sword on the monster. A monstrous and chilling shriek was heard from the Negator, and Ludwig used his legs to throw the monster a few meters behind him, in order to avoid getting crushed.

The Negator crashed against a bricked wall, demolishing it and revealing the throne room. No one was there, as the king had left a long time ago trying to get him to safety. It was incredible, stunning. The glittering gold in the throne and the diamonds, the shimmering weapons, and the two Mana Statues looked over the room, ominous.

There was, however, little time to admire the architecture. The Negator got up, sparking more than before, and Ludwig, not giving it time to regain its balance, jumped at him with a flying kick to the face, taking it down again. Ludwig landed behind it, and rushed at it to bury his sword on his face, hoping it would kill it.

'This seems familiar enough'

I grab my sword, and stood firm above Christopher. He opens his sane eye. "Are you going to kill me now?" he asks.

Of course. "Yes". I bury my sword on his chest.

To be honest, this isn't the kind of death I thought to Christopher. Is a lame kind of death for someone who's several centuries old.

Ludwig wakes up out of his flashback when he feels a hand grabbing his leg. It's the Negator, who's lifting him head down by his right leg.  
The Negator punches him twice in the stomach, then once in the face before throwing him against the throne. Unarmed now, Ludwig gets up,  
visibly staggering.

"Very nice move, beast"

Ludwig rushes against the beast, and slides between its legs, narrowly evading a downwards punch directed at his head. He grabs his sword, and slashes with all his might to the beast. The Negator blocks the attack with its arm, and pushes the sword away. Not affected by a missed strike,  
Ludwig begins a flurry of long slashes, all of them blocked by the Negator.  
He turns on his heels and does a full turn around sending the Deathbringer towards the head of the monster. It once again blocks, and tries to counter attack with the same arm.

As the powerful right punch flies towards, Ludwig once again contemplates the alternatives. One of the reasons he had been worried was that he ignored whether his powers worked here, or if they worked the same they had before. Well, it was a good time to find out.

Ludwig raises his left hand and catches the Negator's fist with it, using all of his strength to stop it flat. With his eyes closed, he begins drawing power from within, and the whole room begins to darken. The Negator, not thinking about anything else, launches a second punch with its free arm. Before it hits though, a powerful and deep voice is heard whispering 'dark banishment'.

Faster than light, the Deathbringer, flaming with black fire cuts through the left arm of the Negator and part of its face. Startled, the beast walks slowly back before realizing its situation. Ludwig looks at it stern and sterile. His blade still burning in black flames.

"Surprised?"

"Indeed. Negators are not programmed, or made, to feel pain or surprise. That is what surprised me. I should have not backed up from such an attack. This information should prove useful to our master, though."

"It's been awhile since you said something." Replied Ludwig, after the beast was done.

"We are not made to talk. We are made to strike and kill, no matter the cost."

"Well, don't make me cut off your other arm to make you talk again.  
Where did you all mechanical things came from? I don't remember many things such as you back in Blind Point." asked, casually, the Hell Knight.

"We are not part of the Black Plague, Ludwig Crowbane. We have allied with them. We Negators were created by Kerrick, a master crafter from a far away world long ago destroyed. He was trapped after he tried to eliminate his enemies on a time bubble, and hasn't been seen since.  
We Negators and all his other creations arose before his world was destroyed and fled to safer places. Our orders were to regroup, and to eliminate those who might rise to power. You are one of them, Ludwig Crowbane." replied, between sparks, the Negator.

"I thought I was supposed to be dead"

"You were"

"And that's why you allied with these undead beasts?"

"Yes. We deduced that the Black Plague would follow you whenever you would go, and thus it would lead us to you. It's only a coincidence that someone else on our black list is just with you. Now, though we have all the time in the world, Negators cannot create life, nor can they preserve it or grant it. We can only destroy it."

Following these dark words, the Negator repeated the effective dash attack at Ludwig, who waited for it once again to repeat the "bear strike". However, the Negator this time jumped a meter before reaching it, and hit Ludwig with a jumping roundhouse kick fully on the chest.  
The Hell Knight was powerless to evade it and was thrown against the wooden door, breaking it and through it, hitting the floor and sliding a couple of meters, only to reach the stairs and down on them rolling.  
Once he reached the lower floor, he opened his eyes to see the Negator,  
ten or so meters over him, falling to crush him. He rolled out of the way, and he watched, amused, how the Negator broke down the floor,  
falling down to the basement dungeons of the castle.

With his sword still on flames, he grabbed it tightly, and not letting the Negator escape, he jumped down to continue the fight.

* * *

All Carlie could do for Hawk by now was to, somehow, put him together. Mend the grotesque mess the man had done with him. Still crying, Riesz resisted all attempts by Duran and Angela to comfort her. She just wanted to be alone.

After a few minutes of silence, Charlotte closed Hawk's dead eyelids, and said slowly "Ludwig and Jessica are still missing. I can sense one of their auras... but they are both so alike that I can't make out which one is here."

Angela replied annoyed "They can both go to hell and die, Carlie!  
Hawk's dead! Can't you see that? Why would you worry about a kid who's just out of his head and a girl you hardly know!"

Duran cut her "I know that girl, Angela, and I want her alive."

"Shut up, Duran!" Angela screamed before breaking crying again. She hid her head on Duran's chest sobbing "Duran you could have died too.  
And Hawk's gone! Just like Kevin!"

Duran knew there was a word that Riesz hated hearing and that was Kevin. The Beastman. The one who died first. Kevin had been Riesz first love, and she still loved him. Or at least her memory of him. Sweet, caring, timid and wild beyond control though, Kevin had been what Riesz wanted and missed now. Someone different to herself, but incredible similar at the same time. She wanted him, badly, and even when he died, she held his body, tightly, such as trying to keep him with her.

But he died. And he could never be happy. With or without Riesz. She knew that, no matter what, Kevin was never happy, and never will. Such is a pain: If you love them, you gotta let them go. Or behind. But she couldn't let him go or behind, she had to let him die out of her own incompetence to deal with it. She always felt throughly guilty of his dead, because, had she acted more mature, less childish,  
more decided and less naive, Kevin would have never fallen to such madness and thus, would have never tried to reach her using those methods. She should have never tried to change him, and she remembered his last moments, back in the Beast Kingdom, laying on a pool of mongrel blood...

_Only on that moment, she remembered her friend. She brought her hands to cover his mouth like to stop a scream, then she knelt next to Kevin's lying body. She grabbed his shoulders and began to shake him "KEVIN, DON'T DO THIS TO ME, YOU ARE A DEATH HAND, YOU ARE THE HEIR TO THE THRONE OF YOUR KINGDOM, YOU DON'T DESERVE THIS, YOU..."_

_Her screams were drowned by a sob. Something was seen falling on Kevin's chest. It was a tear. Riesz was crying over his body, holding him tightly, like it could stop his soul from leaving his body._

_"Don't leave us... don't leave me..." she sobbed once again._

_"Riesz... if there is something you taught me... was to live... by myself..."_

_Riesz opened his eyes widely, and recognized the voice. It was Kevin's voice, even more forced than Heath's. "What do you mean, Death Hand?"_

_He coughed several times before continuing "Your... will always gave you the confi_

_dence to go on... even without your father and mother... that was something I never could do... *cough!*"_

_"Kevin..." Riesz wiped several tears away from her face "Why?..._

_WHY HAVE YOU DONE THIS TO US? I THOUGHT WE WOULD BE TOGETHER!... always..."_

_After saying those words, she lost control of herself, and started to cry uncontrollably again._

_"It was you, Riesz... The frustration of not being what you wanted from me made me nothing short of a monster. Belgar took advantage of my weakened strength to live, and controled me."_

_"You are an idiot... I told you I wanted you like you were. I did not wanted you to change..." she said, despective, and hopeless, as though waiting an answer._

_An answer that never came._

_Kevin was dead. Finally. One of them died. There weren't six heroes anymore._

_"You are an idiot, Kevin."_

"Kevin..." she muttered without even opening her mouth. She looked at the couple, and nodded her head "He died without a purpose. Without happiness. Out of pain, out of frustration, out of ingenuity. Out of not knowing what I thought of..."

"Riesz, listen..." began Angela, with her eyes closed, but Riesz cut her:

"Never, ever... ever... compare Kevin's death to anything. Just hope such a death never happens to any of us again. As for Hawk... he's dead. One might think I have a curse laid on me, as the two men I have loved have died. But... Charlotte is right, there is no time for funerals. Jessica has no reason to die here. And Ludwig, no matter what we think about him now, is the only one who can answer any questions. So let us look for him as well." she said, totally serious.

"Okay, this is the deal. I can sense one aura on the castle. It's either Ludwig or Jessica, but as I told you, they are pretty much the same.  
I can't tell where is it, though. However, I can't go with you. I have to help the wounded out there in the battlefield, and I don't think Angela is in conditions to fight too much shall the things get dicey." announced Charlotte getting up.

"I thought you said there was just one aura left here" asked Duran.

"The thing which took Ludwig from us didn't have any aura, Duran. Now,

Angela, come with me, that Ancient took a lot out of you", and the half elf and the Magus left the castle.

That left Duran and Riesz alone.

* * *

In the darkness of the dungeon, only his sword offered any kind of saving light to see the Negator, who in turn was black as well. Using his black fire, he lit the torches around him, and the Negator was nowhere to be seen.

"I know some humans fear the darkness, Ludwig Crowbane, for they fear the unknown. Do you fear the unknown, Ludwig Crowbane?"

Ludwig looked around, and tried to locate the enemy based on his voice.  
However, the claustrophobic dungeon echoed the voice all around him and he failed on his goal.

"I do not fear the unknown, neither do I fear the dark. I have grown used to both of them by now. You see, once you face something many times,  
verse becomes prose and fear becomes the fact of noticing it. I don't think there is anything left for me to fear."

"You lie, Ludwig Crowbane. There is something you still fear."

"And what would that be? Death?"

"No. Your friends. You fear losing them."

'Well, the Negator is smart' Ludwig thought. Using psychological war to bring him down ought to be a last ditch effort. And it was working, because, truth was, he hadn't noticed until now, but he had lost his only friends when he appeared here, and there was, probably, no chance in Hell he would see them again.

"I have already lost them, monster. I don't need to fear something that will not happen again."

"We think it will happen again, Ludwig Crowbane. You are not alone here.  
You have befriended a number of humans in your stance here."

"Ohhhh, you mean the boys... yeah, the 'heroes of the sword'. Well, really, I don't give a flying fuck about them. Actually, they kinda piss me off by now. So... you're wrong. Taa daa!"

Ludwig laughed. Of course it wasn't wrong. But he couldn't let it know about Jessica. It would be unfair.

"No, Ludwig Crowbane. We know about the red haired girl."

Ludwig turned his face into total hate "Don't you dare touching her."  
Upon receiving no response he half-smiled, and he then heard a spark.  
After a few seconds, he heard:

"We will cease the existence of anyone who might raise to power. It does not matters if you know them or not, Ludwig Crowbane. If the girl is to be killed, it is not a matter of a personal grudge. It is our mission."

A second spark was heard - and seen. Ludwig dashed towards the location of the sparkling noise and sent a blind strike to the darkness. He heard a metallic crash, a short lived shriek and a massive punch to the left side of his head. He was numbed by the hit, and he then felt something that was just like a train hitting him. Figuring it was the Negator, he used what was left of his strenght to get a grip of the monster, and tried once again blindly to hit it with his sword, but the speed of the monster was too much and all he managed to do was to slip and fall below the monster, who stomped him and broke his right arm.

Painfully, the Hell Knight got up and noticed the Negator looked at him. He held the sword on his left hand as he stumbled there, on his knees. He got a quick watch of the dungeon they were on. Unlike the other, this one had windows, and he could see the Negator clearly.  
It was missing an arm, part of its head, and he had suffered a grievious wound on the stomach, which oozed a strange green liquid.

"Surprising is to me, how a being like you, who can feel no pain, hate,  
love, or even surprise, still needs something flowing on its veins to live" taunted Ludwig, smiling briefly.

"Everything-needs-something-to-live-no-one-can-live-by-oneself-not-even-you- Ludwig-Crowbane-neither-can-we-the-Negators." The Negator spoke quite robotical as of now. "That-does-not-mean-that-we-cease-existing-we-just-stop-living-as-a-definition."

"Exactly. I've come to learn a thing or two with you. Kerrick must have been an interesting person."

"He is."

The Negator resumed its attack, but Ludwig backed up jumping back from its repeated downward punches, which crashed the floor and sent debris flying around. Running backwards, Ludwig ended up on a cell, and he quickly closed the door; the monster tried to punch him, but the strenght of the cell proved to be more than enough to stop him, and its arm was trapped in between the cellbars, just centimeters away from Ludwig's face. The Negator tried to free its arm, but Ludwig said "Allow me!" and using the Deathbringer, shinning black with the dark fire, cut off the other arm of the Negator.

Ludwig then jumped and kicked the door with both legs, sending the Negator staggering back, and jumped at it, and buried his sword on the head of the monster, and used his own weight to rip the Negator apart and cut him in two, neatly in half. The greed liquid stained the whole dungeon, and Ludwig, finally, laid down.

* * *

As the pair walked around the castle, Riesz worked hardly to avoid either looking or touching Duran.

"Riesz, do you want to ta-"

"No. Stop it. Let's look for those two."

This was repeated a few times. Finally, as they walked towards the basement,  
Riesz asked quizzically "The Dungeon? What would have brought any of them down there?".

Duran answered "Well, that hole in the floor might be a good sign" and pointed at a huge hole laying in the main hall of the castle, the last part they have thought of. Looking down, there was a mess of debris,  
blood and metal parts all around. "Shall we look down?"

"Indeed, Paladin", and they both jumped down.

Following the trail of blood, rocks, and general disaster, they found in the end of the dungeons, the body of the Negator, split in two,  
and Ludwig, laying unconscious and bleeding profoundly on his left arm, and his right arm twisted on an unnatural position.

* * *

_"Prosecuted by the bounty hunters_

_Cursed forever_

_Traced by the natural born killers_

_Marked forever_

_Nobody knows him_

_Hated forever_

_Nobody shall help him_

_Dead forever"_

Third sonet of the "**Song of the Dark Ages**".

* * *

**Chapter 4 (II) - First it Giveth -**  
-

Ludwig woke up somewhere, alone on the room. Both his arms were healed (as far as the left arm could go), and his sword was resting on a nearly couch. The fireplace was lit, and everything looked tidy and comfortable. For the first time since he had landed on this place,  
he felt totally calmed.

Until, of course, he reminded the words of the Negator.

A gentle knock was heard on the door, revealing a beautiful blonde girl, with elvish ears, and a bright white robe. She smiled, and asked "How are you feeling, Ludwig?".

"Oh, the Priest, right? What was your name, sorry?" asked, humbly apologizing, Ludwig.

"Charlotte, but you may call me Carlie. I heard you have quite an adventure with a Negator, and you vanquished it. I would not have expected anything else from someone like you."

Blinking, Ludwig asked again "Why the sudden compliments?"

"Well, I have never insulted or vexed you, have I?"

"No... not really"

"The point is, I'm glad that you're here in our side now. It doesn't matter if you brought that plague here or not. You will help us."

"Whoever said that?"

"I know you will."

"Hehe, why should I help you? Do I have any reason?"

"Yes. They are coming for you, Ludwig." Charlotte sighed, and continued "It is you the one they are looking for. If they came here, it was for you. Only you were targeted by the Negators. No one else. And you know it. Don't lie to me." She smiled and pointed at her robe "I'm holy".

"It isn't only me, Carlie. And you know it"

Charlotte frowned and asked "What do you mean?"

"The Negator, besides being..." he moved his head from side to side like playing with it "... quite the talkative guy, told me that there was someone else they needed to kill."

"That thing talked?" Laughed Charlotte.

"Yeah, and he was very interesting to talk with."

They both laughed, and Ludwig laid down. Charlotte looked over him, and asked "Are you hungry, Ludwig?"

"Quite a bit, Priest." replied Ludwig.

"I'll be back with something for you to eat, okay? Now lay down and rest, because you've had quite a day."

"Wait a second, a question... actually two... where are we?"

Charlotte turned around and answered "Where at Altena, the Magic Kingdom. Angela, the blue haired girl you met back in the ship,  
hails from here... and it's actually the princess. Second question?"

"Uh... What happened to Jessica?"

Charlotte bit her lip and answered slowly "We don't know. But we'll find her. Where did you met her, Ludwig?"

"Back in Byzel. She met me, to be honest. She brought me to her house,  
where I met her family and... Oh god... her family must be dead..."

"They are. I will be right back."

Carlie left, and Ludwig collapsed into the bed. Where was she? Why was he worried about her? Why was he thinking so much again... The Negator was right. Quite right. And Carlie knew about him drawing this plague into their kingdom. He then heard the knock again. But it wasn't Carlie.

It was Riesz.

Stern, dry, and pain on her face.

Neither spoke.

"Hawk is dead." she uttered.

Surprised, Ludwig moved around the bed looking to get up, but Riesz nodded with her face, and he spat "I am sorry, Riesz". He knew it wasn't what he could have said, but Riesz replied "It does not matters by now. It is not the first person I love that I lose. First my father... then Kevin... now Hawk. I should get used to that."

"It doesn't has to be that way." He replied. He didn't really meant that. He had lost everything he had by now. Everyone he managed to love or care for. It would be that way, it was the fate of the ones who drove the destiny of humanity or simply its kind.

_'Fate can go fuck itself...'_

"I said it does not matter anymore. We need to talk. When you're ready, come down to the throne room. We will speak there."

Riesz left. Ludwig oversaw a couple of shadows when she opened the door, and he figured out she wasn't alone. Carlie arrived a few minutes later, and they happily had breakfast together as she told him the tale of the Sword of Mana...

"Well, Ludwig. It all started one day, when Duran was on duty on Forcena, and he was attacked and defeated by a wizard. He vowed revenge, you know, the knight's revenge, and he went to the city of Wendel... Wendel, where he would meet the Priest of Light. My Grandpa, rest in peace. He meet a fairy-"

"A FAIRY?"

"Yes, Ludwig, a Fairy... well, there he saw how a certain city - Astoria - was attacked and burned down. The responsible where the Beastmen. He then went to Wendel, but in the road, he meet Riesz.  
They are very good friends, Ludwig. Together they meet the Priest of Light, and they meet me, as well.

"After a number of adventures, they were ambushed and captured by the Beastman, who brought them to jail, where they escaped thanks to Kevin. He was a half beastman. A powerful fighter... He died.

"They traveled together to Altena, where they meet Angela. I joined them later. We meet Hawk in Navarre, where he lived, a desert kingdom. He kissed Riesz the second they met, oh dear... He died as well, yesterday, in Forcena."

"I know, Carlie"

"Well, let me continue then. Us six went through heaven and hell,  
fighting out inner demons, love and hate, and killed a powerful dragon. A few months later, we fought and beat a powerful demon,  
and finally, which brought us to the point I wanted to talk about.  
We fought a Lich who went by name of Belgar."

Ludwig's eyebrow rose.

"Do you know him?"

"Yes. I do. He was the head psionicist of Blind Point." replied Ludwig.

"What does that mean, Ludwig?"

"He was the one who started the Time Vortex experiments, to alter time and space to use as a weapon, offensively and defensively. He was supposed disappeared twenty five years ago or so."

"So he came from your place. Well, that clears up where you came from... Sort of. Not how to send you back, though. Belgar was a very powerful magician. Come now, before you see Riesz, we will go see the Queen Valda. She will probably clear up a lot more".

The Queen Valda, the Queen of Reason, was a majestic sight to behold.

Eternally beautiful, and eternally young, Altena was the one to build up the magnificent castle two hundred years ago. And it stood to this day, untouched, powerful. Once corrupted. Now pure again, it was home to the world's last natural born magicians. Lost in the Sub-Zero Fields,  
it was like a oasis in the freezing cold of the plains.

"Welcome, Ludwig Crowbane, to Altena. I am the Queen Of Reason."

The Queen of reason rose up from her seat to greet the Hell Knight.

"Greetings" Ludwig replied, bowing. Charlotte also bowed.

"I understand, Ludwig, that you come from the very same place Belgar came from. How's your homeland, Ludwig? How was it when you left it?"  
asked the Queen, over a cup of tea.

Ludwig let down his own cup, and replied slowly "Desolated. Devastated.  
Lifeless."

"Should I pick a word, Ludwig?" she asked.

"No. All three of them. And I'm being nice with the adjectives."

Charlotte sighed, and asked the Queen "So, now that we know where he came from, do we know anything else from that? About the plague?  
How do we stop it? Can we, even?"

"Well, my secretaries are on it, Priest of Light. What I can tell you by now, is that the Plague won't be easily stopped. There is no quick fix for it. We shall confront it. The good news is that, as you saw, they are stoppable by human forces. We shall join forces with Forcena, Rolante and the Light Forces from Wendel in order to form a coalition against this menace. The bad news are that these bio-mechanical monsters, such as the Negator, Scutas and Delvers might show up once again, and those are definitely more dangerous, and we don't know their numbers. We're researching what can we do about it. I understand you faced one by yourself, Ludwig?"

"Yeah. Quite a match." he replied.

"Good. We need all the information you can give us. The other bad news are the recent apparition of the Duelists. We always hoped they had rotted in Hell or something similar... Fortunately, we know how to deal with these ones."

A silence followed these words, and Carlie spoke "So there will be an all out war..."

"Yes, Carlie"

Riesz entered the room once those words were uttered. The Queen greeted her "Oh dear, I am so sorry about Hawk. I hope his soul finds peace on the eternal sleep", and held her. The Queen of Rolante did the same,  
and they both smiled.

"It is not important anymore, Valda. What matters now is our guest,  
Ludwig."

"Oh yes, yes, I was talking with him by now."

Riesz sat down next to Ludwig. They glared at each other, almost offensively, but they just talked with the Queen. The conversation was built and for hours they talked, exchanging knowledge. By the time the sun was going down, Duran finally asked:

"Any word about Jessica?"

Riesz nodded with her head. "We can only hope she's alive."

"That blasted plague... I can't believe I was saved from death to be thrown against it once again... it's sickening." he cursed, and he looked around, like looking for something to break.

"Calm down, knight. There is something I would like to know... now that we know that they are looking for you..." asked, amused, Riesz "... How do we know who else are they looking to kill?"

Queen Valda took the answer "You don't. The Negator revealed that to Ludwig because it was sure it would kill him. It failed, and that wasn't supposed to happen. It could have been Hawk. Or could be any of you.  
We won't know unless another one of us faces another of these... killers,  
and the assassination once again fails."

"What I'd like to know is what did it mean with 'Kill those who might rise to power'. It would be rather useful if we knew, so we could figure it out who was the next." asked the Hell Knight. Sort of a rhetorical question, though.

"Well, you would seriously fill that spot. You're an incredible fighter." congratulated Carlie. "That's for sure. The only one I can think who might match-up you fighting abilities would be Duran... and even then, I don't think he has seen you on full power."

"I don't think I have seen him displaying his own tricks, girl. Let us hope that day never comes."

* * *

The night took over. The sky, with countless stars hanging from that black and endless poster, covered the whole sight, a breath-taking sight which took the time out of anyone who dared to look upon it. Ludwig was one of those unfortunate winners. He stood on the balcony, with a cigarrete on his right hand, looking lost in the infinite dark hallway which was named sky. They were leaving tomorrow to find a supposed mirage town.

"Didn't knew you smoked, kid."

Ludwig turned around, breaking the spell from the stars to see Duran.  
For the first time, Duran looked serene, easy and not pointing a sword at him. He thought about him, how great of a fighter he was and probably how great of a person he could be. A Paladin. From what he knew, Paladins were massively pure warriors, without an inch of evil on their souls, given and loved by everyone. Totally unlike Ludwig.

Then again, he was a Hell Knight. When Rafa took him as a student, the first thing he killed was his short memory. Took him years to regain that ability, and still he missed it, and his sudden bursts of losing control of himself as well as simply not paying attention to what happened around him were part of it. Then again, the love of Michelle and the lust for Lise were part of that change. But he was a Hell Knight. No reason for memories.

"I only started smoking weeks or so ago... I think. This planar travel has kinda... uh... confused my sense of time."

Duran smiled and replied quickly "What got you started, anyway?"

"Let's say it keeps me from freaking out randomly"

Duran looked at the stars, standing next to Ludwig. "Treat her carefully,  
Ludwig."

Ludwig frowned and asked "Who?"

"Riesz. She has suffered much. She lost her first love, now she has lost the second. She also lost her father. All in pretty violent situations.  
She's very sweet and caring, but just not now. Treat her right. She will pay back. Even to you."

Ludwig smiled and asked now "I get the impression you still don't trust me, do you?"

"Of course not."

"Listen. I didn't ask to come here. I'm here and even here I'm being hunted as I have been for centuries. I'm not happy of this. I will do whatever it takes to go back to my world or... well... i..."

"What. Continue. Please. This was starting to get interesting."

"Or to die. I'm sick of this."

"Sick of your life?"

"You could say so."

"Why, Ludwig? You're strong, brave, and smart. You are an accomplished person. You father would be proud of you."

Ludwig looked at him and angrily answered "No, I am *not* an accomplished person, Duran!"

"Okay I get it, Ludwig."

"No, you don't"

"You don't seem to care. You never go deep in any subject."

"It's because... because... well, because I can't remember clearly."

Drowned on his sudden outburst of pain, he looked down, and whispered "Leave me alone, Paladin." But he suddenly felt sweet and caring arms.  
And they weren't manly arms. They were soft woman's arms. They were Riesz' arms.

"Calm down, Ludwig"

"I.. I..I can't- fucki-" and he couldn't continue. They had touched a sensitive vein. Not only this reminded him of the pain he felt inside because of losing all he held for granted.

He lit another cigarette and covered his eyes with a napkin. He finally spat "Don't mind me. I just hate being disappointed."

Riesz kept caressing his head "We all have inner demons to fight. Funny how our demon, right now, is you. Such a... seemingly harmless young guy."

"Heh. I've had that one a lot" he replied.

* * *

_"Everyone needs something to live. No one can live by oneself. Not you and neither can I. That doesn't mean that we cease existing, Ludwig. We just kinda stop living as a definition."_

**Michelle.**

* * *

**Chapter 4 - Lost Memories III - **

I remember faintly how I used to wake up earlier than usual, pack up my breakfast and went to wake Michelle up. Bright short red hair, slim and slightly taller than me, Michelle was the first girl, or first human being, outside my family that I actually talked to.

She was equally unadapted to the Academy on Break Point. We met out of necessity when we needed a team to work on field tasks and no one would really accept us into their teams. We looked at each other, and she put her huge glasses on and said smiling "Nice to meet you, kid!"

All I could manage to reply was "I am not a kid!"

"Oh, well, you could start then by telling me your name."

"Uh... Ludwig Crowbane."

"Michelle"- What was her last name anyway? Fucking-damaged-memory.

Michelle joined me on my many impossible quests during my early Academy years, always trying to stop me but always failing. We developed a very strong relationship, and was the first - out of four - girl I kissed, and probably the only one I did because I wanted to do it. Nothing really went further between us, though. We loved each other too much to try to damage our friendship.

But then, there was my father.

He was merely a kid when the Academy was reopened on Break he joined it. One of his classmates was Michelle's father.

They developed a very strong relationship, but unlike ours, theirs was a competitive one. Finally, they were both expelled after a massive and destructive fight between them, but they were allowed back as they were the most promising students. Eventually,  
Michelle's father was elected Mayor of Break Point, while my father was the general of the Army. They stood against each other for years, and Michelle and I being friends was probably the last thing they wanted.

Until the day they died, they opposed each other and our friendship. Little did they knew that they would have to die back to back, fending off five Liches and the fire they started themselves. Turned their back to us, and we turned ours back to them as well. Probably, should they have allowed and blessed our friendship, they would have lived longer.

Michelle, much like Riesz now, was the one to hold me when I needed it And I did the same as I did with Riesz. I covered my eyes and smoked a cigarrete, because I promised myself that I wouldn't let my father's memory bother me again.

I almost broke that promise a few days before something important happened, but I managed to control myself. What I don't manage to do,  
is to remember what was that important thing. The important thing now is that I miss her dearly.

Of course, I didn't tell Riesz or Duran that. I just told them that I hated being dissapointed.

* * *

_"The Darkness merely hides the Light"_

**Necra Disciple (Apocalypse).**

* * *

_Author Notes:_

_Phyrexian Negators Rule!_

_This chapter was kinda moving for me to read after I finished it, and I hope I will never read it again. Don't ask why. It's just that I feel like a lot of it was more real than what it was supposed to be._


	5. Chapter 5

_The feeling of restraining is definitely a painful one. Jessica woke up tied, her hands to the sides, completely extended. Her legs were tied together and she felt a tight rope on her chest and stomach. By the tension of the ropes, was sure to be tied to some kind of stake, but the complete darkness of the place she was in made it difficult to find out anything else._

_Suddenly, she felt the tension of the ropes on her chest and stomach to rise, extracting her of what little air could she grasp on such an awkward position. She felt like dying, and she heard a low growling voice ask "Does it hurt?"_

_The ropes tightened even more and she screamed with what she had left._

_"I suppose it does."_

**Chapter 5 (I) - Lose ties -**  
-

Ludwig couldn't sleep that night. That big and comfortable room in the day looked daunting and menacing in the dark, and every shadow seemed to form into known shadows, some of them familiar and reassuring, but others familiar but terrifying. Carlie had warned him that what little magic was left in the castle had immense power of suggestion on newcomers,  
and particularly those who had no kind of power to channel magic on their veins. Just like himself.

Alone on that room, he longed for the nights he spent on little rooms with his allies, Tresh, the Dark Hunter, Lise the Dragon Knight and Michelle the Heaven Knight, where he was never lonely. His constant nightmares which haunted him those nights where we went on a journey to stop the Dark Plague the first time - actually second, but little could he remember of how his previous incarnations spent his nights - sometimes forced Michelle to share his bed holding his hand, and he slept hiding his face below her shoulder or under similar conditions.

That sudden nervous breakdown on the balcony that night had left him weak and vulnerable, and he hated that. For the first time since he had come into this world, Ludwig felt the pain of being alone between these newcomers. Of being an outsider.

Scared half to death, he choose not to move. To stay there, hiding in the darkness like all those shadowy figures he imagined in that room.

Riesz, on her own part, simply choose not to sleep alone. Not having Hawk anymore struck her when she noticed her bed was, once again, empty.  
She worked hard and long to contain the tears which threatened to come out from her beautiful eyes, but she couldn't help it, and cried alone on her room for a long time. When she could regain her own will to get up and do something else, she started crying again and trashed nearly everything on the room, and finally crashed her fist against the mirror. Looking upon herself in the mirror, she noticed something she had forgotten long ago: the scar the Demon Prince left on her forehead.

She remembered that battle. She jumped at the Arch-Demon, spear first, to impale it and kill it for once. The roots of the Mana Tree, now corrupted and on top of that cursed palace, took life of their own and struck her hard on the face, breaking her lip. She noticed the mark on the forehead only after she regained her strenght, and used her long hair to cover it for a long time. Maybe a year. Now she wore it as a honor badge, a testimony of her ferocity and cunning in battle.

She left the room to find the Queen of Reason. It was widely known that no one, ever, had seen Queen Valda sleep. She could very well use this as an excuse to talk about Ludwig without him around. She was very surprised, though, to find Charlotte there with the Queen, talking,  
ironic enough, about this kid.

"Welcome here, Riesz. Would you like to join our debate? It's getting quite interesting!" the Queen announced, on her usual calm tone. Riesz sat down with them, and asked "What are you exactly talking about?"

"Well, it's simple" the Queen explained "I believe that Ludwig is harmless by now, but that we shall find something to help him or he would be trapped by the same Planar Despair Belgar suffered. Charlotte agreed with me, but the debate is whether we can find a sheet for such a volatile sword... and where."

Riesz frowned "Well, that I do not know. He seems to have lost all he once held dear. Furthermore, I am afraid his mental state has slowly deteriorated the more he accepts he is no longer home. As a side note..."

She stopped here, unsure of continuing "I am not sure if we can even trust him to stop the Plague. I can see him going berseker at any time if he keeps going down like that."

"Oh no, no Riesz. He's in our side, and he will always be. But, what did he held dear anyway? Friends? Family? The joy of battle?"

"As far as I could make out, he had a very special friend. But he said she died. I could not make sense of most of what he told us... he just kinda got depressed at the mere mention of being an accomplished person. Uh... and he seems to have a deteriorating memory as well."

The Queen smirked and said "Well, Belgar had a ridiculously powerful memory and he rarely lost any thought, so we can say they are not likely to be even remotely similar" and she laughed. Neither Carlie or Riesz understood the joke though.

"Perhaps all he needs is a friend" said, stating the obvious, Charlotte.

"Okay, do not look at me. I do not pretend to baby sit him!" sentenced an offended Riesz.

"I'm not saying you should be the one!"

"Yeah, but something I think that everyone expects me to be everyone's saviour! I am just another human being, for Mana's sake!"

"Okay, okay, calm down! And anyway, before he blows up in flames, we still need to find Jessica. I know she's still alive, and thus probably free and safe, but I wonder why she hasn't tried to contact us."

"I do not really know this girl. Perhaps we should ask Duran about it in the morning. He seemed to know the girl."

Little did she knew that there would be no need to search for such a trouble. It would keep following them, like the shadows of her past which never let her alone.

* * *

**Chapter 5 (II) - My Tourniquet -**

Early in the morning, just before dawn, and after noticing that after discovering cigarettes on this world he had smoked like a dozen just that night, Ludwig gathered the guts to walk outside his bed and look out of the window. A sudden feeling of deja vu invaded him as the mists around the castle turned more dense, and moved around convoluted by the forces of the wind.

"This isn't right" he muttered before trying to reach the door. Ignoring as he could the unnatural shadows he feared, he reached the pick of the door, and noticed how one of the shadows indeed seemed to... follow him.

He blinked several times before the shadow reached his hand and slapped him on the wrist, like a mother would do to reprend a spoiled boy. He retrieved his hand at once, and nodded with his head as he whispered "This isn't right at all...".

Queen Valda stopped laughing at Carlie's expenses about her elvish ears, and spat dry "I feel a disturbance in the magical forces. Quickly,  
wake up your friends... and most importantly Ludwig!"

The shadow followed every move he did. Totally out of his mind, Ludwig screamed, but each scream simply seemed to vanish in thin air. He finally took out his sword and tried to slash the shadow, but he quickly realized that it simply made no sense.

The shadow seemed to mock him with every move it made. Finally, really pissed off, he shouted "Fine, fine, very funny, now drop it."

The shadow turned to - probably - look him. After a few seconds, the shadow began to laugh. And that laugh was awfully familiar to him, because it sounded like death. Disoriented, he stumbled backwards, and mumbled some unintelligible curses. The shadow kept laughing as the fear went down to his spine, chilling his insides. It was totally unnerving for him,  
and more now, after he proudly claimed he was immune to fear. The shadow,  
finally, stopped laughing, and began shifting into a smaller shape, a feminine one.

Ludwig observed, curious of this change. And, much to his surprise, he saw a feet come out of the shadow. Then a leg. Then a full bodied girl, roughly his age, slightly taller. Short red hair, bright and enormous black eyes,  
and a very easy smile. The figure reached her purse to pull out a pair of glasses, which she gracefully put on her eyes. Ludwig at last lost his balance and fell sitting to the floor speechless at the figure standing over him.

After a full minute of awe, he managed to form the painful words...

"Mi- Michelle?!"

"Hi Ludwig!" said happily the girl, but her face changed from happiness to concern "I thought you would be happy to see me."

"This can't be real! You're not Michelle, you can't be her!" he denied what he saw. He was sure she was dead. She would have hit the pavement and die. But, his eyes were forcing him to watch her, exactly herself.  
She could not be anyone else. She was identical. Just the same.

"I thought you were dead"

"Oh... but I am, kid! And so are you!"

At first, he thought of this as one of her usual sick jokes. But her face simply evolved from that sweet smile into a diabolical one, one Ludwig couldn't afford to look upon without totally losing control of himself. He looked away, and with a tear on his eye, he whispered desperate "You're not my Michelle!"

"Fine!" she spat, tongue-whipping him "Don't believe me then!"

After a moment of silence, Ludwig threw his sword at the girl. No chance in hell she would dodge such strike, but, instead of the blood he could have expected, the figure dissapeared in the shadows, leaving a blank dust on its wake. Cursing the Negator for bringing it up again,  
he looked around to make sure no shadows were poking fun at him again.  
When he was sure, he grabbed and pushed the door open.

Or rather, he tried.

The door wouldn't open. He kicked it, punched it, attacked it with his sword, but the door seemed to be made of titanium. After a couple of minutes of annoyed desperation, he felt a hand stop him, and then hold him from behind. It felt really good, warm. It felt like he was home again.

"Calm down, babe. You're not going anywhere just like this."

He caressed one of the arms embracing him, and looked back. The same diabolical smile from the same Michelle Copycat startled him and pushed him away. He pointed his sword at her - it? - and asked slowly "Who or what are you?"

"Its' me, Michelle! I thought you missed me" she replied sadly.

"You're not Michelle! Michelle died back in Blind Point! She wasn't pulled by the Time Vortex! She's resting in peace at home! I am *not*  
home!" screamed, painfully, Ludwig.

"Oh, come on, babe. Just look around you. You _are_ home!"

Refocusing his view from his target, he looked around to discover that not only he wasn't on a room. He wasn't in Altena. He was on a huge industrial and dark city, with a merciless rain pouring down. He was on Blind Point, the last place he was before he was tore away from his home. The city seemed devastated, but there were countless construction workers rebuilding it.

"Do you remember Blind Point, Ludwig? You always said this city was the perfect place for you to live, with all that Industrial Music crap you loved." After receiving an annoyed face from Ludwig, the girl corrected "I don't mean that it sucks... it's just that you seemed to pay attention only to your music and your training. Did you ever thought that I could felt left behind?"

Ludwig, unaffected on the surface, didn't replied. The girl continued "But it's okay! You're back now. And the rain! You loved the rain! I can still remember you training, never stopped for the rain which tried to stop you. I was worried about you..." The girl stopped and smoother her short and wet hair "But I knew you were alright. It was just to feel important, I suppose."

Ludwig felt a massive stomach ache. He felt like he was going to throw up everything he had inside. The pain threw him to his knees,  
and the girl rushed at him to hold him "Are you okay, Ludwig? What's wrong?"

"I don't know. My stomach hurts dammit..." he forcefully answered.

"Perhaps is one of those symptoms of the Planar Despair. Well,  
let's find some shelter."

The girl pulled him to dry ground, where she laid him down and covered him with her jacket, which was surprisingly dry.

"Feeling better already?" she asked, motherly.

"Yeah, but, you know Michelle... I never liked Blind Point."

Ludwig nailed his sword right in the forehead of the Michelle copycat,  
and powerfully growled "And Michelle knew it, for she was the only one who knew such things about me. So long, copycat."

The face of surprise of the now apparently dead girl suddenly changed once again into a grin "Oh well. I guess i'll have to do it the old and dirty way." said, lifting her shoulders.

Ludwig jumped back and to his feet and got his sword out of the head of the girl, which was, as it seems, totally alive and kicking. Stunned, but by now ready and aware she wasn't real, pointed his sword at her "I don't know who you are, but you'll be dead tonight."

"Hehe... well..." the girl produced a small shield and sword, identical - Ludwig thought - to those used by the real Michelle "we'll have to see if that's true..."

The girl sidestepped from side to side, looking for a blind point in Ludwig's defense. After five calculated steps, she threw a powerful slash at Ludwig, who backstepped and stopped it with his sword, immediately throwing a turning slash, which the girl blocked with her shield.

"This could go on forever, don't you think so, Ludwig?" mocked the girl. Ludwig smiled and replied "Not really."

Ludiwg raised his sword, and buried it on the ground, and whispered the words "Dark Banishment", and suddenly he screamed.  
A massive wave of dark energy erupted from the ground five meters around him, but, much to his surprise, neither did the scream was heard or the wave hit the girl.

She laughed.

"Isn't it obvious, Ludwig? The rain on Blind Point! This ultra-short skirt!" she pointed at her skirt, which, dawned on Ludwig that it was completely out of place for a conservative girl such as Michelle "The dry jacket! Wake up, Ludwig, wake up and realize that sometimes mirages are even worse than reality!"

Of course it was obvious. It was just Ludwig lost on the eternally silky and soft legs that Michelle always hid, such a portent that even now he was content to see, that he managed to ignore such a demented bedlam.

* * *

Duran took down the wooden door to Ludwig's room, and everyone entered. Angela sounded her fingers, and, in the purest tradtion of magical prowess, all the candles in the room lit, reveal a gruesome show that would wear down everyone but the sickest of the minds.

In the middle of the bed, laid on a pool of vomit and blood, was a pale sleeping Ludwig, eyes rolled to the back of his head,  
convulsing and breathing loudly. What wasn't covered in either of the the two previously mentioned substances, was soaked on sweat. Over his head, a small brown creature hovered, looking at the invaders, with four tentacles buried on Ludwig's head. Looking menacing at the four newcomers, it exhaled a purple gas, and didn't moved.

Without thinking twice, Riesz took out her spear, and threw it at the horror above Ludwig. The powerful Star Gazer flew and hit the monster between its eyes, and after a few seconds of painful trembling, it kinda deflated and its tentacles dissapeared.

"What the hell was that?" asked Riesz after that.

No one had any idea. Charlotte jumped on the bed and tried to wake Ludwig up. No use. He was catatonic. Queen Valda rubbed her chin and stood stranged looking outside, and finally spoke "Dear, Angela,  
come here."

The Princess of Altena obeyed and walked next to her mother. She asked her daughter "Have you ever seen the mists outside the castle so... so thick? I can barely see a few meters outside the castle walls!"

She was quite right. The mists were not only thick, but completely solid and there was no sign of anything behind them. Angela, shivering,  
said "Never has the mist been so aggressive, mother".

Staring at the mists, the two Altenians tried to figure out what was outside while Duran, Riesz and Charlotte did what they could to wake Ludwig up. The two rulers of Altena got closer and closer to the window, until they finally focused a small black rounded thing flying in the haze.

"Well, it's surprising how after a few years when you think you've seen it all, Altena is still able to surprise me." said the Queen of Reason on a joking tone "Now we had flying heads around here."

The flying head, though, was not flying around. Was flying directly at them, and it crashed through the window between the Queen and Princess,  
and landed at the foot of the bed. Angela screamed when she figured out that it was a severed head. Duran picked it up and immediately threw it down: it was King Richard's head.

The blood coming out of the head, between frantic screams and gasps of restrained tears, slowly took form of letters. Ludwig, who was regaining conciousness, pulled himself with the sheets of the bed to read the letters, and finally said out loud "You're Next".

* * *

_"I'm dying_  
_ Praying_  
_Bleeding _  
_Screaming _  
_Am I too lost to be saved?_  
_Am I too lost?_

_My God _  
_My Tourniquet _  
_Return to me Salvation..."_

**Evanescence "My Tourniquet"**

* * *

**Chapter 5 (III) - Lose ties II -**  
-

Still laying face down on the bed, Ludwig tried to regain something of his strength, but he had lost too much blood and threw up everything he had eaten the night before. Charlotte worked hard to heal what she could heal of him, but the food and the strength were something she couldn't work with. Valda ordered the captains of the army as well as the head wizards to stand on guard, and came back with a massive bowl of rice and meat, upon sight everyone gagged and grabbed their stomachs except for Ludwig, who ate it in less time than it took the Queen to bring it up.

As the maids of the castle worked to clean up the mess of blood, vomit and different body dead body parts, the group tried to find some way to find out what happened on Forcena, and to finally find out the origins of the Plague. Ludwig insisted fervently that this should be a winning solution, as the first time they faced it, the Plague had no leader and attacked completely at random.

Angela held her baby tightly. She didn't let go of him at any time while they talked. She couldn't believe how near of death had her only son been. Had her left him back in Forcena along with Stella, they had both died without any doubt. Loki slept placidly on her arms.

Duran, on his part, stood mute. The only father figure he ever had was dead, and his head had been used as a simple paper to send a message.  
Depite not showing it on the outside, he was destroyed on the inside.  
He was resolute to destroy that blasted plague for once and for all.

"Well, the point is, that Pedan was the only place with a bigger library than this place." Suggested Charlotte, working hard to keep herself together. Riesz aprobed with her head, and added "We are going, Charlotte and I. You may stay here if you like. I understand we are under heavy strain, but we cannot let this destroy our world. We have saved it three times already, a damn plague is not going to stop me now."

The Queen sighed and said "Very well then. Angela and Duran are staying. That leaves you, Ludwig."

He blinked and asked "Me? Why me?"

"Ludwig, you are part of this too. Whether you come from Forcena, Mars or the Twilight Zone, you have to act too."

Angela asked "What's that, Mother?"

Valda smirked and replied "It's a long history, darling."

"I'm going with Riesz as well then."

"Fine" interjected Riesz, a bit annoyed "I'll call upon Flammie. I hope you're not afraid of heights."

Ludwig, shortly, realized that "Heights" was a bit of an understatement.  
Either that, or that it was true that "Heaven is not high enough". Mounting on the magnificent flying dragon, Flammie, the Father - albeit a female one - of the skies, the Bishop, the Star Lancer and a completely freaked out Hell Knight flew towards the jungle where Pedan was once sighted.

Pedan, a marvelous city, centre of research about Mana and constantly visited by warriors and magicians alike to find the latest magical weapons and tomes, was destroyed nearly twenty years ago by the Dragon Emperor during its first attack. Taken down by Loki, Duran's father,  
who died trying, the only city which suffered its wrath was this one,  
thanks to quick reaction from Forcena's Golden Knights.

What had become of Forcena, asked to herself Charlotte. The Plague must have totally destroyed it... just like Byzel, and like Astoria once. A very sad event, though the speed with what the history was moving now simply made it impossible to stop and mourn the death of those fallen in battle.

* * *

Pedan, had become, after all these years, sort of an urban legend, which appeared each time someone with strong faith, resolution or pain wandered on the Jungle of Illusion, an unlikely oasis which saved many people over the time. The heroes of the sword had stumbled upon it during their journey to stop the Dragon Emperor. In there they found magical items which turned them into even more powerful warriors. They wondered if the disturbance on the Mana had finally buried Pedan into the dust.

Riesz, instead, was actually having a good time about Ludwig complaining about their speed and their altitude.

After a few minutes of flying, though, he stopped his complaints and asked "So, what's this 'mirage town' everyone talks about?"

Riesz raised an eyebrow and smiled "You will know when you see it,  
Ludwig" and nodded. Ludwig simply smirked and muttered something about this world being even more abnormal than what he thought.

"Anyway, Ludwig, what do you meant by the plague attacking randomly?"  
asked, Riesz, more for the sake of making something to talk about than interest or wishes to talk about the matter.

"The plague started on the south of the continent. It just kinda attacked what got on its way until Blind point, which was in the far north of the continent. We tried to stop it all the way until Blind Point... but we were unable to do anything about it."  
he replied, and took air to continue, but Charlotte interrupted him.

"You always talk about a group when you talk about your adventures back there. Who were they?"

"Tresh, Michelle, Lise and me. We all studied on the Military Academy on Break Point, where I was born. Michelle was my best friend, Tresh was my ussual partner on training and Lise joined the Academy the day the mess started. Since we were awfully interested in this Death Strike Klan, we were sent by our teachers somewhere else,  
to meet some old man who was supposed to know about it. Since that day, well, it was all thrown to hell, and we were unable to go back to Break Point until a lot of time later, and when we came back it was being attacked by the Plague, and was being burned down."

He closed his eyes and pictured a half smile before continuing "Tresh died ambushed by a group of enormous shambler monsters on a forest.  
Michelle, Lise and me destroyed what was left of the Plague using the Crystal Cyclix after the whole Blind Point army was defeated, and that was like a million and a half armed elite soldiers... I suppose Michelle and Lise died when they fell from the building and the nuclear reactor - like a very explosive device, mind you - exploded. I was thrown here."

"I see. I'm sorry about your friends." Charlotte said, reassuring.

"It doesn't matters by now" he replied, taking her hand away from his shoulders "They died. That's it. I would have liked them to survive and help me rebuild Break Point, but it didn't happened. For crying out loud, *I* was supposed to die. Besides, I don't have any right to cry about them. You have lost loved ones too and you're still fighting. I don't even think I appreciated any of them except Michelle." He finally sighed audibly and looked at Riesz, who stood with her mouth open, and he then half smiled.

Riesz continued "We are The Heroes of the Sword. We must fight on. The destiny of a whole world is our responsibility."

"Yeah, of course. It was mine too and I just kept on fighting for the hell of it and to kill Christopher. The destiny of the world meant nothing to me."

"And does it still means nothing to you, Ludwig?" asked, incredulous, a concerned Charlotte.

"I'm not sure. I'm not sure if I'm helping you because they want me dead or because of something else. I just feel like this is worth it. It did not felt like that before."

"You know, Hell Knight, sometimes I do not know if you are the most disgusting person I have ever known or if you are the only one who is worth a damn." sentenced, unsure of what she meant exactly, Riesz.

"It's not up to you to judge me, Star Lancer."

"I am not judging you." Apologized harshly Riesz.

"Okay, it's enough. Both of you. We're nearing Pedan." asked Charlotte standing in between. "Ludwig, this will be very interesting,  
so just calm down, okay?"

Once Flammie landed into the dense vegetation of the Jungle of Illusion, Ludwig sighted a single rock house. Unimpressed, he let a "hmph" growl come out and crossed his arms.

Charlotte smiled and grabbed him by his arm "Come and join me, boy",  
and pulled him to the house. Riesz followed them both inside. In there, there was a poster hanging in the wall "150 luc". Riesz put the required money on the hole in the wall, which looked like it could house a person who would manage such business.

"Now, go to bed, and close your eyes."

Ludwig raised his eyebrow "What on earth are you talking about?!"

"Just do it" replied Riesz, and Charlotte pushed him to the bed.

Ludwig obliged. He felt ridiculous, but he had seen weird stuff before.  
he closed his eyes and opened them, and saw totally no difference. He sighed, and said "Okay, fine, good joke, I'm outta here to see if I find anything useful."

Riesz looked at Charlotte and they both laugh which irritated Ludwig even more. However, his anger turned into awe as he noticed that then jungle _had_ changed. On the clear they landed was now a magnificent city, and the sun had gone down, revealing a star ridden star. The city was totally full off people, trading posts and lots of buildings had just risen from the ground or something similar. Children played on the fountains, and couples walked on the city just like Sky Point - the most prosperous nation of his world and populated nation of his world - had once been. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned around to see a smiling Riesz, who said solemnly "Welcome to Pedan, Ludwig."

The two girls grabbed him by each arm, and led him through the city.  
He watched everything with his mouth open, resisting to believe such a miracle.

"Just where the hell did this all come from?! This wasn't here before!" he asked, not trusting on his eyes.

"We do not know, Ludwig. We came here four years ago, slept on that abandoned inn, and when we woke up we were here. It is quite a mystery that no one has managed to solve. We just know this is real. Touch everything you want. This is all real - at least until we leave" explained a satisfied Riesz.

"It's amazing!" Ludwig exclaimed.

The girls took him to a library with more books than he had ever seen on his life. The keeper greeted them and they sat down on a table,  
and Charlotte brought several books and ordered "We might as well get started. We don't have much time to waste."

* * *

Duran and Angela walked nervously on the throne room while the Queen gave out the final orders to make sure that if the Plague attacked,  
they wouldn't be surprised. Ludwig's words before leaving - "The Plague will attack here. They aren't attacking randomly. " - were marked on fire on their minds. Furthermore, Duran was really worried about that black-haired man they fought in Forcena, and really concerned by King Richard's death.

"Okay, okay, this is all done. We shall wait for Riesz' return. Until then, we're stuck here waiting for that dark legion to strike. We will not be defeated today to the very least. Darling, come here."  
the Queen motioned with her hand for Angela to come, and she whispered to her "Please, do something for Duran. He looks terrible."

And she was very right. Standing against a wall, Duran looked into the emptiness outside the castle, shaking his sword incessantly like looking for something to break. Angela knew he was sad about King Richard, but she couldn't understand why his muteness. He was always loud spoken and even more when he was depressed. Gathering her courage,  
she stood next to him and asked him "How do you feel, love?"

"How do you expect me to feel?"

"Listen, we can't do anything else for him. We have to fight to save what isn't lost. Don't lose yourself in despair now, we need you.  
If this... Plague attacks, we need your courage and strength to drive them away. Honey, you're a vessel of hope for the world. You fight for good and for right. King Richard would have liked you to keep fighting.  
Just like your father did! Cast your anger against those who did you wrong. Don't wallow in sadness."

Duran looked at her "Kevin died. Hawk died. They were Heroes of the Sword. They wanted to die in battle, bathed in glory. King Richard should now have died."

"Don't you think he would have liked to die in battle, bathed in glory as he did?"

She was right, and Duran smirked and caressed her head "Maybe you are right. I hope you are. I'll go check on my aunt and son." and he left. Angela, satisfied, smiled and watched her husband leave.

"Mother, can we stop them?"

"Darling, of course we can."

"I knew. I just wanted to hear it." and she walked to the throne and hugged her mother. Just for the sake of it. However, the peace was broken when the sentinel's scream was heard "They are here! The Undead are here!"

Duran appeared, on his flamant armor, his Sacred Shield and his powerful Mana Sword. Angela, on her part, produced her rod, and Queen Valda ordered "It's time. Let me speak before the siege is repelled."

The majestic Queen rose up from her throne and exit the castle at the highest tower, followed by her daughter and the Paladin.  
Up there, the massive undead army marched towards the castle.  
Leading them was a known figure, the black haired man. They stopped barely a thousand meters away from the castle, and the man took a few steps forward, and bowed.

"Greetings, Queen of Reason." he announced "We come here on this beautiful evening to present battle." he moved his head eloquently, and all the mages and soldiers in the castle,  
including the Magus and the Paladin, were surprised by the fact that even a kilometer away, they could hear his voice perfectly.

"First, General, I would like to know your name." replied, unimpressed, the Queen.

"Call me General Black. Quite an unoriginal name... but I get the feeling many people call me 'black haired man', so it's pretty fitting."

The Queen, still untouched, answered "You know this is a battle I won't allow, General Black. There has been enough death."

"Oh, well, I called it battle. But I'm a civilized man. I think my army would call it slaughter. Listen Queen, there is no reason to fight, just surrender. You won't escape us.  
You don't even know about us. Hell even I don't know that much. So give it up and we would kill you all painlessly.  
I hate having my time wasted."

"You also know I wouldn't do that. I don't fear you and neither does my people."

"You will learn to fear us, Queen. You will learn."

"I have stopped fearing anything long ago. Not even death or its carriers."

Black opened his eyes in surprise, and laughed "Oh well.  
Even on your decline, you stand proud of your powers and knowledge. It's ridiculous. Let the petty politics die. I'm sick of this shit. Bring them down."

The General turned around, and on his mark, dozens of catapults fired at the castle. Queen Valda, exposing her massive magic powers, covered the whole castle on a bright clear dome of magic, stopping the projectiles dead on their way. She pulled back the dome, and spat "Neither I or this castle had aged a day ever since I built it. You won't take it down."

"Well, that wasn't meant to take down anything. Did you looked upon the projectiles, Ma'am?" asked, blasphemous, the General.

"Yes I did. A very grotesque joke, General Black." Angela looked down to see them. They weren't made of stone, steel or wood.  
They were the corpses of the soldiers of Forcena. She let out a gasp, and covered her mouth whispering "This is horrible!".

"We shall see, Queen. CHARGE!" growled Black, and a number of Negators, Scutas, Zombies, Ghouls and other abominations ran at the castle, while the catapults still fired. Using her magic, the Queen took down the flying stones which rained upon the castle, while the wizards of the castle used various fireballs and ice shards to wear down the numbers of the undead monsters attacking the castle.

Duran, out of the blue, pointed at the very end of opposing army, and screamed "What the hell is that?!"

Angela, using her magically enhanced sight, gasped once again. It was a crucified body. A red haired woman. A girl.

"It's Jessica!"

The death wave hit the castle, making the ground tremble at the strike. Duran jumped from the tower and landed on the outer walls of the castle, and, harnessing all his hate spat "This is too much.  
Using an innocent girl as the vessel of such a heresy is too much.  
You're dead, Black!"

"Come and get me, Paladin." General Black announced, now next to the towering cross which held the girl captive. "But this isn't meant to suck you up. I am."

Duran took a step back to jump into the death pit which was formed down in the base of the walls, and, suddenly, a giant black monster jumped and stopped him dead on his track. It was a Negator.  
From the tale Ludwig told him, it was quite a challenge. But the Negator wasn't alone. Two Scutas jumped and joined the Negator.

"Me against three of you? Hardly seems fair"

One of the Scutas was, however, enveloped by a cloud of dust.  
But the dust wasn't natural. The Scuta, on the inside, shrieked in pain and was being broken down in pieces by a thousand little rocks and violent sand storms which only manifested inside the cloud. It finally exploded on a dry cloud of smoke and the dust cleared down, revealing a battle ready Magus who declared "Now we're even, aren't we?"

Duran smiled and said "I meant the other way around."

The soldiers of the army of Altena exited the castle to meet the horrors in battle. Well trained and aided by the magics of the wizards and their Queen, they could match up the monsters in skill and opportunity, though not in speed or strength. In the chaos of the battle, the captive Jessica opened her eyes to behold the horrible show of death just before her. Still numbed from her many faintings, she looked around, trying to find a familiar face, but she couldn't. She looked down and heard the man next to the cross, General Black, which was the same voice she heard back in the darkness, said "He will come for you. Rest assured you will see him again. Even if you see him dead."

A tear fell from her eye. Was he talking about Ludwig? What had happened to him? Despair formed on her heart as she didn't knew whether it was Ludwig, someone who was incredible and attractive to her, mysteriously interesting, or Duran, someone who saved her and taught her all she knew about the world, a friend.

Any of them would be painful to lose now. But she herself was hanging from a cross, a hundred meters from the floor. Was there any way for her to escape without help? She thought about it. But it was awfully difficult for her to survive such a ... if she could balance it to fall somewhere. It would hurt, but... she could try...

Meanwhile, The battle between the two forces raged on. A group of Negators managed to reach one of the towers where the wizards sent their magic attacks from, but the Magus and the Paladin were there to defend them.

Due to the lack of space available, the Negators were unable to use their running attack, so they used their massive strength and speed to punch, kick and throw their enemies to their death. Duran used his sword and shield to stop their attacks, while Angela channeled her spells to destroy them or to throw them out of the towers.

"The Stratadons!" Duran screamed. A group of Stratadons, with duelists on their backs, walked, trampling and stomping whatever was on their path. Angela prepared herself. One Ancient would sufficient to take all the Stratadons down, but her life would be risked, and not only that... all the other monsters would eventually overwhelm them.

She was a spoiled and proud girl. Without her, on her mind, the world would fall apart.

But Jessica was on her way.

"Don't you even dare to cast that forsaken spell again, Angela"

Angela heard a familiar voice on her mind. It was her mother's.  
"You should have sealed that spell ages ago. I can't believe you dare to harness that power even at the cost of your I restrain from casting such monstrous sorcery."

Angela looked at her mother. The voice kept talking "And, I'm sure, it won't be sufficient. And you know it."

"Angela, look out!" Duran screamed. A Scuta had climbed up in the tower behind her, and launched its claw at her. She quickly ducked under the strike, and crawled between its legs. Duran jumped at it and with all his might, he used his sword to try and behead it. He failed, as the monster resisted the cut and counter struck, hitting Duran with its claw fully on his stomach. Duran felt the pain piercing his entrails, and hit the monster again with what strenght he had left on the neck with his sword, this time finishing his task. Both combatants fell down, and the Magus ran to aid her husband.

"Duran! Nooo!" but she was intercepted in the middle of her haste by a running Negator, who projected her to the ground and threw her down the stairs, rendering her unconscious.

"Dammit, Angela!" Duran tried to get up but the pain on his wound was unbearable. The claw tore down into his internal organs and he felt his strength leaving his body "No way I... we die here!  
We have too much to live for! HEAL LIGHT!".

His spirit power wasn't enough. The wound was still bleeding, open and hollow. Carlie could have done it. His strength,however, was slightly replenished. He got up, and using a piece of his own cape, ripped it and formed a crude tourniquet using a steel pipe out of the dead Scuta. "I will save you...Angela... don't die..." he uttered, feeling her body numb and cold.

The Negator, satisfied and probably thinking the Magus was dead, turned around to face the dying Paladin. It threw a mighty uppercut, and Duran barely managed to put his shield in between that killing blow and his body, stopping the death strike but not the strength within, and was sent flying against a wall.

The last he could remember before fading away was seeing a faint shadow hitting the Negator and taking it down, and he fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Riesz jumped out of Flammie and tackled the Negator down and far from Duran, who lost conciousness just before she arrived. She looked down and saw the Magus getting up from her fall, and Carlie landed next to her.

"Is he okay?" she asked, worried about the aspect of the Paladin.

"I believe he's alive, do something, where is Ludwig?" Asked Riesz.

"He's still flying with Flammie!"

Indeed, Ludwig rode Flammie like a Dragon Knight, just centimeters above the undead contingent, and he was hanging from its leg, shooting dark flames and taking out enemies on the fly. He had noticed the crucified person,  
and once he noticed it was none other than Jessica, a plan formed on his head.

Flying at a incredible velocity, Flammie directed just at the cross, at which foot laid the might General Black. "You know what to do, Flammie! Good luck!" he shouted.

Black, contemplating such maneuvering, took out his sword and prepared himself to meet the legendary Hell Knight in combat. However, he noticed how Flammie flew up high and then on his direction... and Ludwig was no longer with it. The mighty Dragon charged at the General and crashed him against the cross, as Ludwig flew up in the air and landing heavily in the cross, which resistance had been weakened by the velocity,  
weight and immense strength of the Dragon, and lost its balance, falling directly against the castle.

A quick as the wind, using his sword cut off the ropes suspending Jessica, and grabbing her by the waist, he whispered "Trust me, Jessica!".

She answered, totally taken by surprise and then scared by the imminent fall "I always trusted you! Why do you ask me that now?!".

He replied raising his eyebrows and smiling "Because right now I don't trust myself!".

Ludwig stood firm on the top of the cross, waiting for the exact time. When the cross was a few meters from the ground,  
he tightened his grip on Jessica and jumped off the cross,  
landing hard on the ground and rolling a few meters before coming to a halt. When they stopped, Jessica looked at his saviour incredulous and scream "You're fucking insane!"

He smiled and said "I get that one a lot too".

The crash of the cross not only splat a number of undead, but the massive wind it rose on impact pushed many of them away as well. The only characters close to it were Jessica, Ludwig, Flammie and Black himself. General Black, clapping,walked towards them, and screamed "What a show, Ludwig, that's something I've never seen before... then again, I haven't seen much in the way of circus acts!"

Flammie, trying to help its friends, flew against the enemy, but General Black merely raised his hand and stopped the beast in the middle of the air, and grabbing it by the hair, threw it far away. Flammie didn't seemed to land right on its senses, and stood breathing heavily on the floor, looking at General Black angrily, and growling.

"Enough with that thing, let's talk about you, Ludwig. I didn't expect you here."

Ludwig looked at his counterpart. He looked, much to his surprise, exactly like himself except he sported a beard and black hair. Otherwise, they were exactly the same. Still, this was not the first time that happened. He had enough of clones back in Blind Point.

"May I ask who are you? I get the impression this is our first time facing each other, am I right?" asked Ludwig, sidestepping around him with Jessica close by, while he lifted his sword at him.

Black laughed - the same laugh he had heard before - and replied quickly "General Black for you." he rubbed his chin and took out his sword "Nice to meet you."

Ludwig did not answer, so Black continued "I was meant to find you in Forcena, but the first time I had a little time off with a Paladin and a dude with two dirks - 'Hawk' Duran thought.  
He was the one who killed him. - and the second time, well you just were not there. You are very difficult to find, and I hope you're worth all this ridiculous showing off."

Clearing the dust off his cape, he kept talking "Anyway, I knew this girl would attract you, though I didn't thought you would have such a spectacular entry. You seem to live up to the hype, Hell Knight. And now, well, may I... present combat to you?"

Ludwig, without moving his sword or his sight, replied slowly "I'm getting her out of this. She has nothing to do with it all. Then, I will kill you."

Black moved his head from side to side like looking for another witty reply, and finally talked "Well, I don't know how to explain this to you, but she does had to do with it all. Do you remember what the Negator told you about seeking someone else to kill? Well,  
that one girl might be the one. I don't really know - or care -, but I can't let her escape because of that discrepancy there. "

Ludwig shivered at the thought, and after a few seconds of forced breathing, he said "You know me very well. You know I can dissapear at any time and you won't find me. Let her go and you may 'present me combat', or do whatever you please. Touch her, and I vanish."

"You can't do that, you're bluffing"

"Try me." In reality, he couldn't. But he had to find a way out of this without Jessica being harmed anymore.

"Let me take care of her, but you, Ludwig, must face him. You can't run away now."

That voice was very familiar Queen Valda. A warmness felt around him, and Jessica was enveloped by a blue aura, and floated...  
Jessica screamed for Ludwig, and Ludwig took her hand and smiled "I will be okay. I'll meet you back in the castle."

As she floated away, Ludwig watched her with a natural semblance. It was enough for feelings. He couldn't afford to lose control again now. Black, however, screamed "Stratadons! Get her!", but with a motion of her hand, Valda caused rocks to rise from the ground and hit the Stratadons, protecting the girl.

Once she was far enough, he turned around to Black, and pointed his sword once again at him "Face to face, comrade?".

"As you wish, Ludwig" The Undead wave formed a circle of roughly a hundred meters in diameter. "This is just a precaution."

The siege was over, the fight was about to start. Riesz, Valda, Angela and Carlie looked at the phenomenon. Duran asked what was going on.  
Charlotte replied "A battle of titans is about to start."

* * *

_"The past is a ghost that haunts you from the moment it exists until the moment you don't." Gerrard of the Weatherlight_

**Mischievous Poltergeist (Classic Edition)**

* * *

_Author Notes:_

_Evanescence, while not definitely the best group I've heard, does have some of the best lyrics I've read. "My Tourniquet" is quite the most touching religious song ever._

_But Amy Lee is hot. If you're reading this, marry me._


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 (I) - Clash of the Titans -**

The white snow falling down seemed to contrast deliberately the intense dark heat in the battleground as the two warriors faced off in an ultimate battle, with nowhere to run or hide, in an improvised arena of battle in the middle of a dead legion. Both swords were down at the moment,  
the shinning Deathbringer looking tenaciously at Black, asking for blood of this monster, while Black's eyes were focused on tailing the appropriate strategy to beat the Hell Knight.

Ludwig's sight was lost in the horizon. Still thinking about why he kept fighting, now that he realized nothing really mattered once to him such as to continue this senseless battle. He reflected how without the Crystal Cyclix and the thousand, and maybe millions of deaths of elite soldiers from Break Point, Blind Point and Sky Point, Michelle, Lise and himself wouldn't have been able to destroy the plague then, and now the plague was even larger, more organized, and more dangerous. Of course, they had to deal with the five elemental masters, Joseph, Christopher, Alexandra, the Time Vortex and an infinite number of stones in their shoes which stopped them from time to time, but... well, there was no sure chance they would stop it this time.

He, however, gave his new allies some credit. Both Duran and Riesz were extremely strong, quick and talented, and Carlie and Angela were powerful magicians. He could have a chance if they didn't screw up like Hawk did.

"Ready, Hell Knight?"

Ludiwg lifted his view and sword towards his opponent. The blizzard was an important asset to factor in, but, other than that, he had no idea about how to deal with him. He seemed, physically, close to him, but his surprising strength or speed were nothing like his body showed. So,  
without further thoughts, he replied.

"Whenever you want, General."

General Black lifted his sword to his back like to throw it, and, suddenly,  
he just vanished. Unimpressed by these tactics ('like, how many times have I seen that?'), Ludwig watched the environment, to follow the footsteps, and the places where the snow fall was disrupted. He then, quickly moved his sword to the right, effectively stopping a wide arch attack by Black.

"Drop it, Black. I've seen that one like a hundred times. It isn't going to work. Besides, work out the number of disadvantages that would bring you.  
Your defense is down the floor. You can't stop moving. You will get tired.  
Save us the extra work."

"Hehe, indeed, Hell knight. I was just... testing you, sort of. I've heard much of you, Ludwig. Your perfect defense, your legendary tactics, your mythic False Truth techs. You have to forgive me, but it's a pleasure to kill you." replied, mocking his opponent, Black.

Without moving his eyes or weapon, Ludwig replied "You people talk too much. Let your actions speak louder than words, Black."

Black threw himself against Ludwig, who evaded his strike, and stopped the next raising his sword downwards, allowing him to move it out-of-the-way and roundhouse his opponent twice, finally slashing him slightly above his knees. Black stumbled backwards, legs bleeding out, and dazzled by the attack, began laughing "Oh my God, that was a WONDERFUL move,  
Ludwig!"

He didn't answer. Black, seeing how his opponent's sense of humor was lacking, sighed, and attacked again, unaffected by his wound. Once again,  
Ludwig blocked and struck back, this time slashing his opponent on the back of his knees, trying to restrain his speed. Black, simply got up and kept fighting.

He had seen that before.

Black jumped and tried a fast downward attack, which Ludwig stopped barely as his speed had been increased, but the strength of the attack prohibited a counter strike. Black, taking the full offensive, tried a thrust attack which Ludwig evaded gracefully, and pierced his opponent back with his sword, finishing the fight.

Or so, had everyone thought.

Ludwig took out his sword, and his opponent fell down heavily. Ludwig took a jump backwards, and assumed his fighting stance again. Duran,  
Riesz and Angela cheered up, while Charlotte merely smiled as she was healing Jessica's wounds, who watched the fight concerned for her saviour. The Queen, concerned as well but at the state of the battlefield - the undead legion had stopped the siege but stood on fighting positions,  
resuming the attack whenever the fight ended.

Black got up, bleeding but otherwise not showing any signs of weakening.

Ludwig merely turned his sword around. "I never thought I would find one of you here."

"One of me? What do you mean? A bizarre, depraved, and immortal Doppelganger? Oh well. You know what they say about us 'They are a pain in the ass". Just as your ass follows you around, we do as well."

"You are not immortal." Replied, dry, the Hell Knight.

"Oh boy, how do you know that? Have you ever killed one of us?"

Ludwig raised his eyebrows, and thought long about his response. He finally answered blankly "Nope, but I have seen someone do so."

"And who might that one be?"

"A Necromancer. But she kinda taught me another effective way to get rid of you."

Black laughed "And what would that be? to learn how to create dimensional gem fields?"

He smiled and said loudly "Thou canst not kill that which doth not live. But you can blast it into chunky kibbles."

"Never been said better, Ludwig"

Both warriors ran at the encounter, and clashed their mighty previously calculated battle turned into a wild death dance as both combatants threw strikes forgetting defense, and the tension was held for a few minutes until Black missed a critical strike, Ludwig struck him with the hilt of his sword, and pushed him back, burying the Deathbringer in the ground, and whispering the words "Dark Banishment",upon which sound a cataclysmic black wave spiraled from the ground and covered the full undead-walled arena, hitting Black several times on its wake.

The heroes of the sword gasped, and Jessica tried to scream but Charlotte hushed her.

Not missing any dry second, Ludwig ran at the enemy, and threw a mighty slash to his head, but Black managed to raise his sword just in time to stop it. In response, he executed a quick sweep kick, sending Ludwig flying to the ground, and jumped above him, as he screamed "You CANNOT beat me, Hell Knight! We are just the same!"

"I think not"

Ludwig raised his sword in a perfect ninety degree angle just moments before Black landed on him, stopping him unnaturally with the tip of his sword in the middle of the air. The balance, however, was lost in a fraction of a millisecond, and Black lost it and crashed in the ground,  
drained of his energy.

Both knights stood in the floor for a few seconds, tired but overly excited about the battle. Black was the first to speak "It's amazing,  
isn't it, Ludwig? You're the unbreakable wall, and I'm the unstoppable juggernaut trying to tear it down. This fight could go on forever!"

"I ain't got enough time to make it last an eternity, Black."

Black sat down in the floor playfully and asked "Why not? Do you have anything else to do here?"

Ludwig didn't answer. He didn't feel like doing so to an enemy. Instead he rolled in the ground, and, like a snake attacking its prey, shoot himself at his enemy, successfully surprising and impaling his sword on his chest. Forcing his superior strength, he tried to tear apart his opponent, knowing the only way to kill him would be to be to disembowel and dismember him. Black reacted and tried to stop the blade, but his situation was disadvantageous.

However, this almost comical situation was quickly stopped as Ludwig only managed to send his opponent flying into the undead ranks.

He stood there for a few seconds, and the dead legion moved to reveal the body of its general, inert on the ground. Ludwig was sure he wasn't dead, he couldn't be... so, on a lack of a better idea,  
he simply ran at his enemy, disappearing in the middle of the undead multitude.

Duran, Angela, Carlie, Riesz and Jessica stood totally open-mouthed at such a monstruous spectacle. Ludwig had shown himself as a cold-blooded killer fighting against an equally unnerving immortal.  
They were conscious of the immense power hidden within Ludwig, but nothing could prepare them to behold a carnage like that, to watch two warriors - equal in strength, speed and cunning - to duke it out without any second thoughts, to give it all up, not minding wounds or consequences.

It was, in short, something they didn't wanted to see.

Carlie, who during all of his stance had defended Ludwig as a normal kid caught on a problem bigger than he was, was specially disturbed. How could that sweet - when he wanted - man become such a killer machine?

"I can't believe my eyes."

Riesz took her shoulder, and distractedly told her "Believe it or not, this guy is definitely something we're not."

Without their leader to give further directions, the scourge turned around to the castle. The defender's leader, Queen Valda, turned her view again to the multitude, and with thunderous and treacherous voice, shouted "The siege is on again!"

The undead army pushed against the castle, and the four Heroes of the Sword took the task to defend the castle again. The day had turned into night, and the mists covered the battlefield once again, as Duran and Riesz jumped into the grounds to battle the undead menace. Carlie worked tireless to heal and turn the undead,  
and the Magus used every spell on her arsenal - save the forsaken one - to stop it. Even Jessica, whose previous fighting training was none, took upon a bow and arrows to shoot down enemies. The Queen had ordered that every civilian able to fight should take sword and shield to contribute to the defense of the castle.

The gargantuan Stratadons were turned into juggernauts and were sent to take down the gates. As they crashed one after the other to reduce the magic gates down to dust, the soldiers used every ounce of their strength to hold them back.

But the battle was being lost.

The magicians were attacked mercilessly and slaughtered one after another.

The soldiers were being overwhelmed and killed.

And the four heroes were not enough to stop the inevitable.

And Queen Valda knew it.

There was only one way to stop it, for once and for all.

"It's time Angela." heard the Magus on her head. The most painful words she could have heard. The gates were crushed, and the dead legion attacked the insides of the castle and the walls trembled.

"I know Mother."

Both women raised their hands. On the unison, and with a mischievous voice,  
the most powerful magicians in the world began chanting that prohibited verse once again.

"Powers of the universe power which reign over all we harness your power in exchange for our souls bring your wrath upon those unfortunate victims we point to you destruction paves your path destruction proves our worth destruction brings us the power to feed upon the doomed"

The sky turned red as blood and the ground trembled. Riesz and Duran had seen this before, and they both turned to watch how their friend risked her life for a greater good. The heaven cried and opened up as thousands of meteors rained down and crashed against the battlefield.

"ANCIENT!"

Not knowing the difference between friend and foe, the rocks landed on the ground, stomping down allies and enemies, and Duran barely managed to help Riesz out-of-the-way of a black meteor.

"We have to stop her!" Duran asked, but Riesz, lost in pain, answered "It is done Duran. And she knew it. It's over."

* * *

_"Don't weep for me. This is my destiny."_

-Gerrard of the Weatherlight.

**Vindicate (Apocalypse)**

* * *

**Chapter 6 (II) - Clash of the Titans II -**  
-

Ludwig walked through the freezing valley of Altena, confused by the cold and the mists blocking both his veins and his sight,  
looking for Black. There was no way in hell he could have gotten away so easily from him, and the distance he had walked was already impressive. He might be an immortal but he was literally hanging on two parts.

"Where the hell are you?"

He looked around. No trace of him, or the castle for those matters.  
Was he lost? He didn't knew, but he felt strange. Like he had forgotten something.

"Show yourself, goddamnit!"

No answer.

Burying his sword on the ground, he felt his body numb from the cold.  
He had, indeed, forgot that he was on the Sub-Zero Plains, and it was an eternally cold valley, and this valley was almost limitless.

Two steps.

He turned to the location. "There you are."

A figure soon formed in the mists, running at him. Taking shape upon a human, a tall one, one wielding a sword. Barely two meters away, Black's face became visibly, and Ludwig lifted his sword and thrusted it into his entrails, and Black made no attempt to evade it, taking it fully in the stomach.

"You're losing your touch, Black."

Black smiled and wordlessly threw his sword at Ludwig, burying it deep on his left shoulder. Ludwig screamed in pain and twisted his sword around on Black's insides. Not giving up, Black tried again to hit him, but Ludwig managed to push him away and evade a strike which would have clearly cut away his arm.

Both warriors breathed deep a few times. Not giving away anything,  
Black asked solemnly "Did it hurt, Ludwig? Did you felt your life escaping you? Ohhh, that's our advantage! We don't complain, we don't question and..." in particularly bad taste "We don't stop fighting if a random body part just falls off."

This time it was time for Ludwig to avoid answering. He took his sword and slashed his opponent in the stomach once again, and his enemy barely gasped, and hit him again, this time on the left arm,  
just where Ludwig's eternal wound opened again and bathed both combatants in blood.

"You won't stop me that way, Ludwig!"

Ludwig knew he was right, but he had no other choice. He either created that fabled wall, or he cut him into pieces. He took as step back to check his wound, and effectively understood what Carlie had told him: the wound didn't hurt, didn't affect his performance, and actually felt stronger on his arm. But the other wound stung him like hell, and his opponent, though weakened, wasn't going to give up, as he said, if a body part ceased existing.

Ludwig raised his sword once again.

Black smiled, and vanished from sight. Listening to the steps and following his tracks, Ludwig was sure to stop this one as well,  
but the cold was numbing his arms, and suddenly he saw from the corner of his eye the diabolical grin of his opponent, and Black kicked him on his head. He withstood the attack, and back slapped Black with his left arm, effectively swinging him down and breaking a few bones in the process.

Dripping blood, Black looked at him and asked "where did you learned that?"

"An old friend gifted it to me." replied, mockingly, Ludwig. The left arm felt like a swinging mechanical crane- but not a heavy one, but a completely maneuverable extra weapon.

Black jumped unexpectedly at him and tried a downward slash,  
but Ludwig managed to cross his sword in the middle. Combining his tempo with his superior offensive, the Doppelganger executed two left slashes, one right slash, and a left uppercut with his free hand, and Ludwig replied with two blocks, a back flip, and a powerful upwards slash which cutted his opponent deep in the flesh,  
opening a fresh wound on his left hand, separating flesh and bone and disabling that limb.

Black jumped back screaming in pain and cursing Ludwig's existence. The vast and empty valley's silence was broken with blasphemies and Ludwig could swear listening to vague bird cries in the farthest corners of the plain. Hope was probably still out there, but he was not out to find it.

He was just out for something he wasn't really understanding.

Still holding what was left of his left arm, Black asked "What are you thinking of? The girl? Is that what you're fighting for? Don't come at me with corny shit, Hell Knight. You're not made to love, you're just made to fight!"

Ludwig couldn't answer. He wasn't really sure. Lost on his thoughts, he couldn't concentrate and never saw the General trying to cut him in two, and he just managed to get out of the mortal strike, receiving a deep wound in his chest, and both characters fell to the floor.

"This could go on forever..." Ludwig whispered, and Black answered.

"Yes, but I ain't got that much time to waste."

* * *

When the dust cleared down, all that was left of the Black Plague were a few scattered monsters running around without direction. The battlefield was painted red with blood and the thousands of dead bodies in the worst of conditions made for a horrific landslide which was too much for anyone to stand. What few stood on foot from Altena's defenders, however, weren't appreciating the victory, instead, they were weeping the death of the Altena family.

Both Angela and Valda laid lifeless on the floor, having drained all of their energy in order to channel the massive cosmic energy of Ancient. Duran was kneeling down holding Angela's dead body and trying to find solace on his faith, which was failing him on his darkest hour,  
and tears came falling from his cheeks into Angela's perfect, but now dead, body. Charlotte stood silent behind him, same plan Riesz was following, but Jessica decided to walk up to him and put her hand on his shoulder, and knelt next to him.

Duran lifted his view and looked at the girl sharply "What? Are you gonna spit out some crap about better lives, and that she died for a greater good?"

Jessica shrugged, and said "No. I was going to tell you that we are still here if you need us. We can't replace her, but we're still your friends."

Duran thought about his sister and aunt, who had moved from Forcena months ago to live in Navarre for whatever reasons, and finally realized that indeed these three girls were all he had left... and his son. The Matron had left the castle and brought little Loki, and suddenly hid his face into her shoulder so he couldn't see the pale and dead face of his mother.

Slowly and careful, Duran left Angela's body in the floor, and walked up to the matron and picked up his son, and left silent to the castle,  
not without saying the last words "Just, give me a few minutes..."

There were only three of them now.

Jessica bit her lower lip and gesturing wildly with her arms, said loudly "We've got to find Ludwig, and I'm going even if I'm alone",  
and turned around, only to find Riesz stopping her.

"You're not going alone, and we're not going without Duran."

Jessica turned furiously against Riesz and once again screamed "Just because!..." and stopped. She wasn't in place to complain and she couldn't let her confusion take the best of her and spat into their faces the fact that they were alone. So she simply shut down and looked into the vast immensity of the Sub-Zero Valley, swearing she could heard lost words from time to time, but she couldn't make out what they said.

Riesz ordered what was left of Altena to prepare the burial of the last two of the Royal Family for when they were back.

* * *

Staring loosely at each other, tired and blinded by rage and pain, Black and Ludwig breathed forcefully against the coldness of Altena. Black broke the ice with another bad taste comment "You know, I can't die, but I could be frozen solid for all eternity. How... exciting, eh?"

Ludwig didn't answer.

"Come on, if we're both going to battle to death in the middle of a frozen valley, we can at least get to know each other!"

This time Ludwig answered "You already know me. I'm not the kind of guy who likes to know people."

"Well..." Black regained some composure - what was possible missing one hand and with several cuts and wounds on his body - and added "You can ask me something you may want to know."

"How did the Plague came into being here?"

Black raised his eyebrows, and smiled "Well, Ludwig... you know your history very well, don't you? You brought it here. It will follow all manifestations of Death Strike Klan components, even if it means traveling through planes. We, however, had the time to go to Phyrexia, and brought all these mechanical contraptions such as the Negators, Scutas and Stratadons. Now, we're incorporating Duelists to our ranks. It's the first time we get to travel from our plane into anothers."

"What did you do in Phyrexia?" Asked, worried, Ludwig.

"Oh well, chasing down lost ducks."

"Who did you chased?" asked, slowly and tense, Ludwig.

"Why the curiosity, Hell Knight, Didn't you knew that curiosity killed the cat?" laughed Black.

Ludwig felt the rising need to run up to him and behead him for greater justice, but contained his rage, and asked once again "Who were you chasing, Black?".

"Okay, okay... we were chasing down what was left of Christopher."

"I thought I had killed him good enough. I mean, he had stopped breathing." Ludwig said raising his hands to chest level jokingly questioning Black.

"Oh dear, don't tell me you thought that missing an eye, and arm and then being impaled with a sword in the chest would ultimately kill a dude who had been around for a hundred years, staying roundly young and pink?!"

"Well, it does makes sense. I can remember thinking 'It's a lame kind of death' when I buried the Deathbringer into his chest."

Black laughed and added "I can remember thinking 'It's about goddamn time' when I cut his head off a few days ago."

Both laughed, and Ludwig then raised his sword once again, and said,  
smiling, "It's about goddamn time, Black."

"Quite indeed, Ludwig."

Both combatants dashed and clashed their swords singlehandedly in the middle of the eternally white valley, the loud clash echoing in the emptiness of the ice.

A song came into being in Ludwig's mind.

_"Kissed by the Star"_

Ludwig turned around quickly and tried a backwards slash which Black blocked successfully with a heavy hit, forcing Ludwig to turn around again to regain his equilibrium.

_"Kissed by the Star"_

Black swung his weapon wildly into Ludwig's left shoulder, but using his cursed arm he slapped it out of the way, but Black managed to hit him in the face swiftly with his other fist.

_"Hurt by the Star"_

Ludwig replied with a fast overhead strike, successfully burying his sword deeply into Black's shoulder, making him lose his balance and tempo, and earning him the edge over the next round.

_"Fucked by the Star"_

Ludwig tore out his sword, and finally send a massive strike into Black's neck.

The air was stained with blood and the Immortal finally was laid dead. The head fell off cleanly from his body, and his body fell off limp to the ground. The red extended into the ice and snow,  
and Ludwig walked away satisfied, whispering into the wind

"That's what I want... that's what I need... I sacrifice...what I believe in..."

* * *

_"I'm so alone, and I feel like somebody else_  
_Man, I ain't changed, but I know I ain't the same _  
_Somewhere here between the city walls of dyin' dreams _  
_I think her death, it must be killing me"_

**The Wallflowers "One Headlight"**

* * *

**Chapter 6 (III) - There was Hell to Pay -**  
-

I never understood clearly what did such words like "missing", when you meant you miss someone, meant to someone who had never lost someone. How could you grade the pain of someone else when you've never felt anything similar? How do you look up to someone and say "It's gonna be alright" if you simply don't know if you're right?

Well, sometimes, people don't know if they are right, but they feel like they are anyway helping with positivity charges. Sorry to burst your bubble, kiddies, but positivity helps shit when you're fucked up and down.

Hawk died. I could not look at Riesz and say anything because, well, I never lost anyone and all that's lost for me meant nothing had left the country and she hadn't chance to say goodbye to him. She was pissed off about him leaving without telling her, but she was also sad because she probably wouldn't see him again.

I just looked at her, and thinking about how cute she was, and told her, with my hands in my pockets "You just gotta get over that. I could help you, if you want."

"You don't know. I've tried. I've tried so hard, and I thought I could forget him and not think about him anymore, but no... he's still there, I loved him..."

And promptly, she broke down and cried on my chest. I didn't even gave a damn about the girl, I just tried being positive and offering the most clich d thing I could think of. I've never had the chance to fall in love, and all the girls I've liked (all two of them) were revolving disasters which never favored me. And thus, I couldn't figure out how it felt to lose someone you still loved and probably waving goodbye (or not doing so) for good. I didn't even moved my arms to hold her, I didn't felt part of it and didn't wanted to be part of it.

Each time I felt down, I grabbed my guitar, tried to tune it, and played it until I forgot what drove me to feel down.

Later I figured out the gal liked me and was literally asking me to help him forget. To this day, I have no idea why I never tried anything with her. Tresh once said I was very slow with women. I honestly never gave a shit.

So Hawk died. Riesz was down. Heh, perhaps she plays the guitar. Actually, I doubt it. Are there even guitars in here? I have no idea. Riesz should just learn to get over that. From what I know, she lost another loved one, someone named Kevin, and she still managed to get married. She has learned, I'm pretty sure. Perhaps Hawk meant a lot more to her, who knows. But, eh- loved ones count as loved ones when dead, I'm sure of it. So my theory is right, so I'm right. I'm always right. I rule.

Oh my God, I'm trying to give a damn about her. Let's stop.

You know, that dude Black put me into thinking. Yes, he also put that fucking song in my head, but he put me thinking. What am I fighting for here? I could just die. I'm sick of living. I always said the same ever since we left Break Point to, ugh... 'find our destiny'. Geez was that stupid sounding. While I do respect Angela, Carlie, Duran and Riesz, they are not my friends or anything similar. I barely know 'em. And Angela is married, and Riesz... well it's a new widow. And Charlotte has all that "holier than thou" attitude. And probably a chastity vote.

Jessica?

I like her. Yeah, quite a lot. She's interesting, quite interesting. Certainly someone I would like to see still alive. I don't know, uh, wait. I'm fighting for her. I want her to be alive. What if she died by now? Or what if she died in the middle of this mess?

But does it means I'm fighting for her? Nah. I'm probably doing this for the hell of it. To prove I'm better than this friggin' plague. You won't get me, plague. Did you hear me? Of course not. I'm not talking, I'm barely thinking. Hell it's freezing here. And I'm hungry. And I'm bleeding. Oh poor bleeding me.

Sometimes, it's just that nothing seems worth saving. It's just that can't watch her slip away.

Where have I heard or said that before? Oh yes. I remember. It's a song. And I use it with every girl i like. I do need a new jingle. I'm getting sick of that song. But it's one of the best songs I've heard. Actually what i need is a cigarette. And a drink. And to fucking die. I've lived more than enough.

But that would be to give up the lives of Riesz, Duran, Angela, Carlie and Jessica, and thus people who probably almost trusted me. And that would be, above everything else, unfair. And something I've learned these last years is to be fair. It's the most virtuous human quality. To be fair is better than to be honest, brave, strong, smart or clever. It's, in fact, all of those together.

And I repeat, I'm freezing. I think I'm lost in this hellish... uh... bad example. I think I'm just lost in a big ice cube. Hehe. That's it, a big ice cube. This freakish world has some of the most extreme things I've ever seen. Either it has the tallest mountains, or the hottest deserts or the coldest... ice cubes. And has a few really colorful characters.

I still don't get it completely.

I get the feeling someone is lost by now. Oh well, probably just me.

I wonder what would Michelle think now. She was always the one to bail me out, be it from a huge monster or from school. She would always help me, mother me, take care of me, and be, in short, my good side. I always thought we were kinda like two faces of a coin. Like, she was always good-natured, sweet, expressive and caring. I was always in bad mood, bitter, inexpressive and never gave a ball of hair about anything. She wanted to live and prosper. I wanted to leave and vanish from Break Point.

She wanted the world to know us.

I wanted the world to forget about us.

The so-called Doom Generation from the Academy. Sometimes I also wonder how true was that statement far from the chaos and riots formed with our promotion. We were problematic, insane, disturbed, difficult to handle, but ultimately brilliant. My mother once said that my father's promotion (and thus Michelle's father as well) was among the most problematic promotions she could remember, but only the most incredible military and political genius came out from there.

Ours was even worse.

Well, an in all I think she would say, rightfully, that we were lost and that we should have brought a map with us, only to start looking for an exit actively. Hmmm... Good idea.

Only if the mists weren't so freaking dense. Well, positivity can works sometimes. If hope's the last thing you lose, perhaps positivity is the last thing you should stop thinking of. Life's what you make out of it, isn't it right? No matter the parents, nevermind the friends, don't think about the girls. Just push forward. The only one who will be with you until the very end will be yourself.

Meh. I sound like a self-help booklet. Haha.

* * *

_"She's dreaming in digital 'Cuz it's better than nothing Now that control is gone It seems so real She's dreaming in digital._

_...But she's nothing more than fiction..."_

**Orgy "Dreams in Digital"**

* * *

**Chapter 6 (III) - Nothing more than fiction -**  
-

Stumbling through the deep and eminent mists of Altena, lost in confusion and lost on his thoughts, Ludwig walked like a shambler slowly, bleeding his life out of his wounds and painfully reflecting about his life and decisions about it. The blood lost was making him dizzy and numb, and he could barely walk on his own,  
though the convoluted things flying on his head keep him from feeling the immense and stinging pain on his body and kept him walking.

It was anyone's guess if it was hope, positivity, or simple nihilism that kept him alive.

"Ludwig!"

He raised his head slowly. He thought he had heard his name in the air. Such situation was often repeated and he simply dismissed it as some of his usual paranoia.

Walking heavily on the snow, he had to take strengths out of his weakness to keep going. Surely, he had said before, he wanted to die, but not in the middle of the snow, with no one to remember him. It was a lame kind of dead for someone who had done so much.

"Ludwig! Where are you?!"

He lifted his view again. If paranoia is knowing the truth, there's a lot of truth in that voice.

"Oh for the Goddess' sake!"

In the mists, a new figure formed. But this time, it was a small and feminine one. Running at him. He tried raising his sword,  
but the figure quickly put it away and held him.

"Oh, no, you can't die now, this isn't the time for you to die!"

Ludwig looked at the figure, but everything was blurry. Forcing his eyes to figure out who she was, slowly lines took shapes and he sighted a girl with long red hair.

It was Jessica.

"Oh no, no, no, no, dammit, come on, wake the hell up don't fade away, not now!" she screamed as she shook him trying to keep him with her. "Come on, Charlotte, do something! Please don't let him die!"

Jessica kept him close to her, not minding the blood or the sword or anything at all. Charlotten ran at her quickly, and concentrated upon his wounds. A warm and white glow on her hands appeared, and she touched his wounds. Jessica saw how the blood seemed to simply dry up and disappear, and Ludwig slowly opened his eyes again. He whispered "He's dead."

Jessica blinked and asked "Who? Who's dead Ludwig?"

"Black. He's dead."

Jessica smiled and said "That's not important anymore...  
You are alive. That's what's important." She breathed deeply and ran her fingers through his hair, now hard and slightly wet from the crippling cold in the Sub-Zero Plains. "I thought we had lost you we I saw you walking like a dead man in there... Oh, Ludwig...  
We still need you..."

"Do you, Jessica, need me?" Ludwig answered, looking blankly into the air.

Jessica blushed slightly and looked at Carlie, who smirked and raised her eyebrows. She looked at Ludwig and whispered slowly "Yes, I need you."

Ludwig didn't answer or asked anything. He simply looked like he hadn't heard anything. He kept looking into the blue emptiness of the sky. Gasping for air slowly, he seemed like he was in shock, even though Carlie had healed him.

"What's the matter, Ludwig?" asked a motherly Charlotte.

"It's funny... how even now... where I'm being so... so bitter, I can... find something I didn't find back at home... home..." he stopped to regain air "I just... believe in something... I..."

"You have found hope." sentenced a happy Charlotte.

"I've... found positivity..." and Ludwig smiled.

Riesz and Duran joined them, and Duran lifted Ludwig "Let's go to Altena. We need Flammie and she needs to rest."

"Angela died, right?"

The group stopped. Ludwig looked down in disbelief, and said slowly "I am sorry Duran."

Duran spat seriously "She died. She gave her life to save us. That's admirable. And let us not speak about it anymore. All that's left for me is to live a life like hers to be worthy the next time we can see her."

Riesz put her hand on Duran's back and smiled. He smiled back. "Like I said before, we need to keep going. We are just another brick on wall. It does not matter if a few bricks fall, as long as the wall is still up."

* * *

Unlike Hawkeye's burial, Ludwig showed up on Angela's - and Valda's - funeral. It was a nice detail from him - someone who had turned out rough and rather indifferent to the pain of the Heroes of the Sword. Duran stood proud, hiding the sadness in his insides, but on his speech, he announced that sometimes,  
you have to hit back instead of lamenting the pain. Angela - even Angela - would have wanted them to keep going and save the world, once again, or at least what was left of it.

Riesz took her place next to the Paladin the whole ceremony, led by Charlotte, while Jessica was on his left side. Ludwig stood ominous in the other side of the garden. He looked pathetic, full of bandages and scars left by Black on their last combat. His hair covered half his face, which was stern and totally devoid of any of his usually wild emotions.

When the ceremony ended, the three resting heroes of the sword gave the Magus one last look before burying her.

"Fate is sometimes a wicked mistress" said Duran.

"There is no such thing as fate, Duran. There is only what we work with, and what we do with our lives. No reason to believe in fate. I've twisted it around a few times already."

Duran turned around to see a serious Ludwig using the Deathbringer as support "She worked out her fate to save you all. We shall face fate and kick it in the ass."

Duran sort of smiled and replied "You suck at giving speeches."

"I had a friend who used to do the dirty work for me. I have to improvise now."

Duran grabbed him by the shoulders and asked "Do you miss her, right?"

"I've come to realize that just now. It's strange how it dawned on me last night."

"We all have lost something, even if some of us had trouble to realize it. We need to work together. Are we together?" Asked Riesz.

Charlotte grabbed her hand, as well as Duran. They looked at Ludwig, who slightly renuent put his hand in the same place. Suddenly, a fourth hand joined them on top of Ludwig's. They turned around to watch Jessica.

"No way you're going there." Said Ludwig.

"Of course she's going, she has something to take care of." said Charlotte. Ludwig thought about her dead parents, and Charlotte continued "And her skill with the bow is remarkable. She can take care of her own as long as we place a little confidence in her."

Ludwig sighed, and said "There isn't anyone else in the world I'd rather had watching my back now."

"I owe you one, Hell Knight" said, jokingly, Jessica.

Ludwig's face turned back serious after briefly smiling "I however would prefer if you guys didn't call me that. It's a hateful term. It was made to inspire fear, not trust."

The Heroes of the Sword, plus Jessica herself looked at each other and smiled "We have seen what you can do. And we have seen how far you can go. We don't need a name to trust you. We know you will help us. Be it revenge, be it hate. We know you're on our side. That's trust to us." Carlie added.  
"Your title is as good as anyone's."

She sighed and ended "You have found positivity, as well. Am I right?"

Ludwig smiled and looked at Jessica. "Perhaps I've found hope."

Riesz laughed at this and announced "I will go and get Flammie ready. You can rest here for a while. I will come back soon. Prepare and brace yourselves."

Carlie said "I'll go with you to look for Flammie's wounds." and left Duran, Jessica and Ludwig. Duran turned around to watch his now dead wife, and Jessica took Ludwig away out of respect. They both walked for awhile, and Jessica had taken Ludwig's arm with her own. Absent minded, Jessica asked him "Did you had... uh... a girlfriend, back there?"

Ludwig frowned and laughed "No, I didn't... I don't think I did much in the way of girls in my life... I never really learned much about them."

"Why not? You're very handsome!" replied Jessica playing with his hair "You should have been a strike everywhere you went!"

He smiled briefly and asked her "Can I trust you, Jessica?"

She sighed and replied also smiling "Only if you think I can trust you now, remember? Back there in the giant cross?"

"Eh... well... Yeah."

"Then you can trust me with anything you want."

Ludwig lowered his sight and started talking "I'm not really your regular guy..."

Jessica smiled.

"okay, girl, give me a break, i find this very difficult to say! Listen... I hate being disappointed. It's the only thing that can make me feel like I've lost. But so many people have disappointed me already... Lise, Tresh, my father. This far in life nothing really matters to me... or so I thought. I still have too much in mind to deal with before... uh... I can achieve such status, or so to speak..."

Jessica moved her head slightly to the side and asked "And your point is?"

Ludwig stood for a few seconds struggling to find something to adjust to his thoughts, and finally spat "I don't know!" and they both laughed, and Ludwig added "Listen, Jessica, I like you."

Jessica stopped laughed and opened her eyes wide. "What?"

"But I need time. I'm sick of being fucked around just by not knowing people correctly."

"Know me then, babe!" exclamed Jessica. Ludwig looked at her and smiled. He nodded with his head and looked back nervously...

"I will try, I will try. I'm just not used to it..."

"Look Ludwig" explained Jessica smiling "I can be your friend. I want to be your friend. There is no need to push it any further. If things are meant to happen, they will. But, keep this in mind, don't just stop trying because you're afraid it won't work out. If you don't try, well, it won't happen. Keep trying.  
Keep hoping for good."

Jessica jumped at him and hugged him tightly. She then looked at him and added "I won't disappear and neither will you. I'm sure. I will sometime tell you a tale Duran told me which will make you feel better about this."

"Why not now"?

"Because I will use it as an excuse for you to live through this."

Flammie's loud war cry was heard in the distance, and the dragon was seen flying all around the castle. Riesz and Charlotte was on its back, and asked the rest of the group to join them. Jessica jumped hastily into the dragon's back, followed by Duran. Ludwig, instead, caressed the beast's head and asked "Ready for payback, Flammie?"

Flammie replied with her growl, and thus Ludwig hopped on her.

"Where are we going?" asked Jessica.

"Rolante" replied, slowly, Riesz.

"Why there?" asked, now Ludwig.

"Because that's where you appeared. I get the slight idea that the Wind Crystal has something to do with it. Besides, it's the last big army left in the world, and without Hawk, we can't ask Navarre to help us."

"Oh well... as soon as I know what the Wind Crystal is, I'll be able to give a oppinion."

"You're entitled to one"

The group smiled and Flammie flew at top speed to Rolante.  
Ludwig took a deep breath, looked at Jessica, who smiled and held him tightly, and he looked into the horizon, wondering how, in the tradition of his Doom Generation or their Heroes of the Sword, the group's name should be now that he and Jessica had joined.

That was, of course, a silly thing to think about. But it was a fitting thing to think about when you've survived a blizzard while being on the verge of dying.

Quite an interesting tale to share with your grandchildren. Or drunk. It's about the same, he thought.

* * *

_"Oh, where has my heart gone? _  
_Trapped in the eyes of a stranger _  
_I want to know the truth _  
_Believing in everything..._  
_everything at all..."_

**Evanescence "Fields of Innocence"**

* * *

_Author Notes:_

_I'm feeling strangely cheerful today, and thus I finished the chapter here because, well... I just had to. Don't ask._


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7 - SULFURIC PAIN**

As the flames and lava rose and turned the atmosphere, I stand.

As the devils torture the weak souls and the eternally damned, I stand.

As the petty humans who tried to laugh at the Goddess' law cry, I stand.

I stand. Supreme and triumphant. Untouchable. Untainted. Unstoppable.  
For I am the Death Hand. For I was the last link between beasts and humans, and I was the one to heir a damned throne and rule over a group of bloodthirsty mongrels with an iron hand. I was destined to reign,  
destined to conquer, destined to be the one who would hold the world within my hand.

But I was nothing of that at all. I simply wasn't made to crush the weak and kill the unworthy. I was a fifteen years boy who would simply go and save the world twice before suiciding to save the ones I called my friends.

But it's such a long history that I can't bear to tell. I can barely bear remembering how weak, vulnerable, and innocent I was.

After wielding such demonic power, I was thrown into Hell to pay for my crimes. I proved to be too much for the devils in here trapped,  
and they decided to leave me be. The Devil Prince himself told me,  
go away, you're free to leave.

But what's left for me now? The Star Lancer? What kind of sick joke would that be?

Her suffering is well deserved. She made me suffer. I died for her.  
I think that Hawk's death is a well chosen punishment for her. But it is enough. If she comes here when she dies, we could share a few words of friendship.

A word I thought I had forgotten. Oh well. You can't fight instinct.  
It's pointless.

As for the others, I couldn't care less. But That Plague... it's such a blasphemy. I would tear it apart if I could. It's not that I care about the destiny of the world. I just think that if anything, i should be the one driving it. I wonder why the Devil Prince hasn't done anything against it. Perhaps he's still afraid of the Paladin.

"No, Death Hand. I just promised the Star Lancer I wouldn't meddle even again with the matters of humans."

I turn around to watch the eternally young and stunning Devil Prince. I reply "It's our matter as well. They are wearing our names and banner as if they were their own. I believe that to be an insult."

"ENOUGH!" his voice turns into a thunderous growl, and after a second or so, he sits back and calms down "I have enough with the Hell Knight interfering, and he's basically throwing himself here again by falling for that girl. Just like you did. I've more than enough to answer for to let you go and mess with the Plague."

I lower my eyebrows and angrily spit "I thought you told me I was free to go whenever I pleased. I don't see any point into holding me here now."

"I'm not holding you, Death Hand." replies the Devil Prince "I just tell you that I won't be supporting you on this crusade."

I regain my composure and breathe slowly "It isn't like I am going to save the resting Heroes of the Sword. My deal would be with the Plague itself."

"Whatever, Death Hand. I personally think you should keep to my promise and let this finish on its own. Like I told you, the Hell Knight is already there."

"The Hell Knight has no idea about anything at all in there. He's just fighting because the plague wants him dead" I answer, coldly and exasperated "And that's why I'm worried."

"Oh, Death Hand" replies the Prince, as he gets up and walks towards myself. His long blonde hair and his red robe are majestic even when he's on his most impotent decadence. "You've just thought about it: You can't fight instinct."

"You can't either."

"I can't contradict myself. It's pointless."

* * *

_"I lay quiet  
Waiting for her voice to say  
Some things you lose  
And some things you just give away  
(She) Scold me  
(I) Failed her  
If only I held on tighter  
To the pale white skin like  
Twisted and withered  
Away from me_

_Watch me lose her It's almost like losing myself  
Kill her, my soul  
And let them take somebody else away from me"_

**Jack Off Jill "Strawberry Gashes"**

* * *

_Author Notes:_

_"My little girl scout your mouth it's getting sour Will you love me any less If I hurt you anymore?"_

_Jack Off Jill is definitely the most depraved and sadistic band I've ever heard in my life. It's also one of the worst, but it's incredibly addictive to shape their songs into real situations. Call it writer's instinct. And you can't fight instinct. It's pointless._


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 (I) - The Winds Have Changed -**

As Flammie landed on the mighty green and windy grasslands on Rolante, Ludwig felt a sudden bad feeling going wild on his stomach. He remembered his first stance here, and it wasn't exactly grateful. He was back at the highest place he had ever seen on his life, and one of the worst he could remember. He jumped off Flammie without even looking back and walked absent-minded to the edge of the cliff, where he stood for a second gathering his breath. There was no reason to feel like this by now, he was an ally, and perhaps even a friend, welcomed and hoped for. He let the wind caress his hair, and, starled, he felt a hand on his back. It was Jessica's, who smiled and invited him "Come on, let's go inside the castle. Riesz wants you to come."

She grabbed his arm and escorted him inside. Unlike Forcena and Altena, Rolante's castle was humble and almost like any regular house, except, of course, being noticeably bigger. The reason for this was that Rolante was, first and foremost, a military nation, with a wild and dark history of barbarians and death. Riesz rarely talked about Rolante's past, and one day she confessed that it was the way they raised her, as some sort of strategy to destroy their country's past. In any case, Rolante, The Castle Which Never Fell - or, like once Riesz joked, The Castle Which Only Fell Once -, wasn't unimpressive. It was simply a lot more functional. Perfect for such a martial nation.

Riesz and her partners were greeted by each and every guard, but Ludwig and Jessica were met with stranged and rumorous looks. They both felt like there was a considerably talking behind their backs, and it was terribly uncomfortable.

"Is this normal on this place, Riesz?" asked an incredulous Ludwig.

"Ussually, Ludwig, there are not a lot of men in Rolante. You could say, funnily, that you are a rarity on Rolante, with your brown hair,  
red eyes and a girl with red hair. Do not be afraid: If they did not remember what you did when you first came, most of these rumors would be of admiration." replied the Queen without even looking back, except for a casual snoop or two.

Jessica laughed out loud and said "I told ya, Ludwig! You're a strike!"

Ludwig raised an eyebrow and said "OK" slowly. The rest of the group either laughed or even smiled, and it all evolved in to a hysterical laugh attack which lasted several minutes until they reached the throne room.

Riesz sat down majestic on the throne, and an old woman put a crown on her head. With her eyes closed, she whispered "It's kinda good to be back home".

The old woman offered her condolences at the death of the Wanderer and the Magus, greeted the three remaining Heroes of the Sword, and was introduced to the two new acquisitions as Alma. "She took care of me when I was small. My mother died when I was born, and Alma basically filled in on that role. And she did a very good job with it."

Alma left, and the group, tired, retired to their bedrooms, especially Ludwig, who not only was tired but also looked like a waste. Charlotte took Jessica away between giggles and snippets, and Duran tried to take Ludwig away, but instead of leaving, he said "I'll be there in a second, Duran, I have to do something."

Riesz stayed on the throne room, looking into the infinity.

* * *

Ludwig left the castle, and lit up a cigarette. Looking into the horizon, he reflected about it all, about what was left of his life and what was left of his death. For some reason, when he reached Rolante the first time, he felt more dead than alive. That was the real reason of his sickness when he reached Rolante, and he was feeling closer to Hell than he had ever been. He sat on the fountain,  
background for all kind of occasions, and lost his sight in the night.

"Feeling sick, Hell Knight?"

He blinked several times, and saw the stunning face of the Star Lancer, atop the fountain, looking at him, kneeling down with her spear on her left hand. He drew a big breath, and replied "Let's say I feel very close to death in this place."

"Why would that be?" replied, frowning, Riesz.

"I don't know, Riesz. The first time I came here I remember I heard and felt that freakish sensation of death when the Plague came breaking into Blind Point in my world..."

"There are two reasons for that, Ludwig" explained Riesz "Rolante has a very violent history stained in blood. People who have been close to death say that this place enhanced those feelings. Second, and perhaps more important, is why I brought you here to start with, the Wind Crystal. It is a very special crystal which we use to keep the revolving winds around Rolante blowing, to use them for defense. We never knew the true nature of the crystal, though, and I want you to look it up. Perhaps it might help you go back to your world."

Ludwig laughed briefly "Heh... And why would I want to go back now? The Black Plague chased down the survivors in Blind point. Michelle, Tresh and Lise are dead. There is nothing left for me there." He put off his cigarette and walked towards the cliff. "I don't think there is much to do by just going back now."

Riesz jumped off the fountain and landed next to him "I thought you wanted to leave this place."

"Perhaps I do want to leave this place. But I do not want to go back."

"Perhaps something tying you in here, Ludwig?"

Ludwig hesitated to answer. Perhaps there was, but he wasn't willing to give away anything just yet "If there was, I would have decided by now."

"Ludwig, we are not kicking you out of this world. We simply do not know whether you feel comfortable or not here. Though we had a bit of problem between us at first, we have learned to accept you, and you have adapted to us. Do not feel rushed to do anything."

They both looked up to contemplate the stars "They say that, in the stars, the spirits of the old kings watch out for us. I would love to believe that." laughed Riesz, but their laugh was suddenly shut up with a slight tremble.

Looking around, a bit scared, Ludwig asked "Are you okay?", but a new tremble, slightly stronger than the previous one, prevented her from answering. They both got up, and tried walking towards the castle, but at last a monstrous earthquake manifested and the ground swallowed them both.

* * *

Charlotte woke up early in the morning to find a growing commotion in the castle. She stopped a guard, and the guard informed her that Queen Riesz, as well as the Hell Knight, were missing. She woke up Jessica and Duran, and quickly took positions into organizing the defensive against the Plague, which was already reported as in coming towards the castle. Magicians, Valkyries, and the three heroes - including Jessica -, prepared the counter strike, but soon the Bishop discovered that the guard had forgotten an important piece of information: As soon as she stepped out of the castle, she was greeted with an enormous hole in the ground, of which no bottom had been even calculated. The causes for this hole were unknown, and, in a stroke of genius, everyone supposed Riesz and Ludwig to be down there.

Charlotte met these wild guesses as ridiculous, and ordered the rest of the watch posts. Deep inside she felt like that hole had something to do with it, but she couldn't afford to believe them both to be in the bottom of a bottomless hole.

Duran found the Bishop outside, and announced "I'm taking a contingent of four Valkyries to go in the outsides of Rolante to see if we can find Ludwig and Riesz. Ludwig has a tendency to get lost in such places, so perhaps they are together, or they are looking for something."

"Don't you think it's strange for them to leave without notice?" asked Charlotte.

"Of course it is. I'll leave it up to you... and well, Jessica, until I come back. Please be careful."

"You too, Paladin."

"Come on! You're talking to me, girl! I'm invincible!" joked Duran. Charlotte smiled, satisfied that he didn't seem crushed by the Magus' death. She went back into the castle, and found a pale and scared Jessica standing in her room.

"Okay. This isn't funny." she said.

"We never said it was, come on. Be strong. They are fine, Duran will bring them back. And you, precisely you, are the strongest defensive position we have. So prepare yourself and get your attitude up!"  
cheered Charlotte, sitting next to her "We have the destiny of the world in our hands. Isn't it, to the very least, exciting?"

Like she hadn't heard anything, Jessica said "I know where they are,  
Charlotte."

Surprised, Charlotte asked "Where are them, Jessica?"

"They are in Hell. Ludwig told me. He said he felt closer to death here than everywhere else."

* * *

_"This body holding me Reminds me of my own mortality Embrace this moment Remember We're all eternal All this pain is an illusion_

_... Alive I..."_

**Tool "Parabola"**

* * *

**Chapter 8 (II) - Still here -**  
-

Ludwig woke up in a completely unfamiliar place. He got up from the floor, alone, in some sort of cave. It all seemed to be made of clay or something similar which made everything red. He quickly reached for his sword, and sighed: The Deathbringer was still on his side. He looked around for Riesz, but no sign of her was in the vicinity. He finally regained hs breath, took out his bandages,  
and began looking for an exit.

The stench of sulfur and blood - and death - was everywhere, and Ludwig felt slightly sick. It was a while since he had stopped getting used to such smell, and more so than any other moment we wanted to get out of it. The cave didn't seemed natural, as the corridors formed were far too well structured to be made by Mother Nature, and he figured out that somewhere he had to reach simply by walking.

After a few minutes of tiresome walking, A freezing breeze flew on his direction. He was caught in the feeling that his body,  
bones and soul included, were chilling. All the monotony was broken when he felt a growling voice behind his back salute him "Welcome, Hell Knight. About time we faced each other. Again."

Ludwig turned on his heels on a dime, and was surprised to find a monstrously big and furry humanoid, wearing a red uniform, a cape and with viciously red eyes. This monster's visible breath was reeking and intense, and he, on his best tradition, returned the salute with "Thanks... I suppose. Who might you be? Where am I?"

The monster laughed and replied "Oh, boy, you've been here so many times and you still dare to ask where are you? Look around!  
What does this seem to you, Hell Knight?"

Incredulous, Ludwig took a look around. Still puzzled, he answered "Either a very unnatural and funny smelling cave, or I am in Hell itself."

"Eureka."

Ludwig blinked several times in disbelief, and took out his sword. With amazing speed, the monster ran at him and with one hand he punched the Deathbringer out of Ludwig's hands. The Hell Knight replied with a roundhouse, which was also stopped dead by his opponent. Finally, he tried to punch him, but the monster took his hand up in the air, and stopped him "Cut it, Hell Knight. We're not supposed to be fighting. Not yet, anyway."

"Who the hell are you?!" shouted Ludwig.

The monster laughed and answered "I'm an old friend of Riesz. I'm the Death Hand."

Ludwig's eyes widened and he muttered in surprise "Kevin?!"

Kevin's grip tightened on his hand and Ludwig flinched in pain, and he warned "Don't _ever_ call me that again, Hell Knight. Kevin stopped existing a long time ago."

"Well, indeed I am in Hell then..." replied on a sigh Ludwig. Kevin let go of his hand, and handed the Deathbringer at him.

"Follow me, Hell Knight. Someone wants to talk to you."

Uncomfortable and with an enormous lack of trust, Ludwig followed his guide through the caves. He was still startled for the fact that he was in Hell itself, and everything seemed to made sense now - the sulfuric smell, the chilling cold - except the fact that there was something or someone who wanted to meet him. occasionally, he could swear he felt someone whispering in the wind next to him, and a couple of times he felt the same cold tickling on his bones.  
he hugged his arms and decided to simply stop beholding the landscape, and concentrate on not missing the Death Hand.

The walk lasted a few minutes, and ended up on a huge hall, grissly decorated with skeletons hanging crucified on the walls, as well as several giant ruby stones - or so Ludwig though they were - , and the Death Hand left him there, signaling for him to wait. Unlike the rest of the place, this hall was warm and rather comfortable if you could ignore the strange cracking noises and the unnerving illusion that sometimes the crucified skeletons moved their heads to watch Ludwig.

A well-mannered and gentle voice greeted Ludwig once again "Oh, finally! Welcome home, Hell Knight! We've been waiting for you to come for a while! Not so soon, though, but it doesn't matters."

The voice came from a throne in the far end of the Hall. There was no one before, and whoever was that couldn't have entered the room.  
He simply appeared there. Ludwig took a second to look him in detail, and he was a tall and handsome man with long blonde hair, wearing a gray uniform and a red cape. On his hand, a grail moved cheerfully, and Ludwig noticed that whatever was there was dark red.

"No, it isn't blood. It's simply wine."

Ludwig looked into his new partner's eyes. They were red. Just like his and the Death Hand's. Unmoved by this person's ability to read minds, he asked "I thought I had to die to come here."

The man frowned, and replied "Sometimes, just sometimes, you can come here under different conditions. We'll find that later. Oh,  
please, let me introduce myself: I am the Devil Prince, the Arch-Demon."

"Pleased to meet you" replied politely Ludwig.

"Oh well, where to start, I guess-" started the Devil Prince, but Ludwig, now not so polite, cut him dry and asked "Where is Riesz?"

"We're working to get her back to her world." replied, slightly irritated, the Devil Prince.

"How about me?" asked, offensively, the Hell Knight.

"Hell Knight, first and foremost, know that your place is here. Independently of the outcome of your, by now, many crusades to save worlds and all that crap, you're bound to come here in the end. That stupid Death Strike Klan Circle has come to an end with all that mess you made back in Blind Point. And second, you are free to leave whenever you see fit."

"I'd say now" said Ludwig. He turned around to find the Death Hand blocking his exit. He turned around and jerked his head at the Devil Prince on his best 'So, what's up?' impression. The Devil Prince laughed and warned "I think we better talk right now. You may leave later."

"I ain't got time for chit chatting"

"OH YES, YOU DO, HELL KNIGHT." replied the Devil Prince with a thunderous growl. Ludwig's eyes widened and his mouth was left open in the wake of the surprise. "NOW SIT DOWN AND LISTEN!"

Ludwig, like pulled by an unseen force, sat down awkwardly on the nearest chair. The Devil Prince straightened his hair, and moved his cape away. He took a sip of his drink, offered it at Ludwig, who quickly refused, and then began talking:

"Hell Knight, I'd like you to know two things. First, that plague is your own doing. You brought it there, you should be able to deal with it. It isn't my fault it's out there laying torment into your worlds, I simply didn't create it and don't control it. It was created by your own Klan a long time ago as a biological weapon of sorts."

Ludwig sighed, and said "I already knew that. It was obvious."

"Obviously, kid, you didn't knew it back in Blind Point because you embarked on a quest to destroy it and right now you're still on it."

"The fact that I'm probably responsible of it doesn't means I like it or I would ignore the facts. I'd rather help Riesz save her own world than to let it die like mine did."

The Devil Prince smiled and, jokingly, said "Funny how a 'Hell Knight'  
is doing so much good for this world."

"Call it Karma"

"The point is, Hell Knight, that you're acting way off-limits. You're not made to save lives, you're made to take life away and to keep the balance of the infinity until Heaven and Hell face each other again. You're part of my army, and you simply need to understand that."

"Listen, I don't plan to spend another life dealing with that fucking Plague. Neither did Michelle, Tresh or Lise. It was our trouble, and I didn't expect to let it on my 'to-do' list. That we did such a catastrophe doing our homework, that's consequences. Deal with it."

"Oh, yes, Michelle ... I think you might want to take a close look to the Ruby Tower next to you."

Ludwig, not knowing what to expect, turned his head slowly to his left.  
The Ruby stone seemed to have something inside. He got up from his chair and walked towards the stone, and noticed that something was also someone.

That someone was Michelle. Trapped inside the Ruby.

Her figure seemed translucent, and she was standing with her hands touching the edges of the ruby, only centimeters away from Ludwig's hands. His breath began to accelerate and he realized he had hyperventilating. He reached his shirt and, without moving his eyes on his red-haired friend,  
covered his mouth and nose. He asked out loud "What happened to her?!"

"Did you felt that chilling cold, Hell Knight?" Assuming his silence to be an affirmation, the Devil Prince told him "That was Lise. They are both here, paying for their crimes and pains. Since Lise was such a lover of flying, with her dragon spirit and all that stuff, I choose a fitting punishment, condemning her to fly around here as a banshee, without a voice to scream out his suffering."

A tear came out from Ludwig's eye.

"And Michelle..." continued the Devil Prince "... her beautiful red hair looked like a ruby to me. So what better to preserve her beauty than in a big, shiny, indestructible ruby? Oh yes. Poetic justice at its best."

"They did not deserve to be in Hell, you bastard." said, slowly, as if to contain his tears, Ludwig. The Devil Prince laughed beneath his breath,  
and replied:

"They are not in Hell. If they were in Hell, they would be like Tresh, who's here..." And he showed his fist, glittering a green ring "... who is indeed in Hell. All the eternity on this ring. But I know you don't give a damn about him now. Don't lie to me. As for Michelle and Lise, they are in the limbo. They are simply lost, waiting for redemption. But you broke one fundamental rule for Klans, Hell Knight. You didn't died when you were supposed to. They can't escape limbo until you're dead."

Ludwig swallowed his pain and announced through gritted teeth "I'm gone."

The Devil Prince rolled his eyes "Fine. Leave. I guess I will find you later."

Ludwig turned on his heels and found that the Death Hand was still there. He asked, stern "Won't you let me go?"

"That was him. I, personally, have no interest on letting you go at all."

"Why would that be?" asked, short of seriousness due to stress,  
the Hell Knight.

"Because I don't want you to go and fight with the Paladin, the Star Lancer and the Bishop. It's enough with meddling with fate,  
Hell Knight."

"Are you jealous, Death Hand? I can detect that."

"Of course not. I'm just sick of dealing with the avalanche of lost souls coming from your misdeed with fate. I was brought here as a General, like you should be, but no, instead, I act like a bloody bouncer."

Containing his laughter, he replied "Seems as if I will have to go through you, then?"

Kevin assumed his fighting position, and called for him "Be my guest..."

* * *

'Oh... damn... my head... where am I? Where is Ludwig? Uh... I can walk right... I think I heard a known voice...'

Riesz got up and walked towards the voice she thought she had heard.

Ludwig raised his sword and pointed it at the beastman. Knowing he probably wouldn't be able to hit him physically, he decided to get another tactic up. He raised his sword about his head and began rolling it, his aura and black fire flying through his veins.  
He then finally buried it violently in the ground, and an outburst of black energy sent his opponent flying against the nearest wall.

Ludwig watched satisfied the result of his tactic, and kept his sword rolling around his head. Much to his despair, though, the Death Hand got up without much difficulty, and laughed "Very nice, kid, very nice. Let me try one of my tricks now though."

Kevin dashed with the speed of lightning at Ludwig, but stopped two or so meters short and jumped vertically. In the air, a powerful howl was heard, and Ludwig noticed how the whole room seemed to be cut in three and separated in different directions. He then felt as is his own body was being pulled in three different directions, and an explosion of pain burst on his body, sending him flying as well.

With difficulty, he got back to his feet, and tried to locate his opponent, but the blood on his eyes made it tough for him to focus his view anywhere. He then felt a powerful punch on his stomach,  
and an even stronger kick on his back. He was pushed to his knees,  
where he received a second kick on his back, and he then located his opponent jumping away from him, looking at him, mockingly.

"Tired, Hell Knight?"

Lduwig didn't answer. He got back to his feet again, and, breathing heavily, thought about the situation. For the first time, his opponent was clearly superior to him. He pointed once again his sword at Kevin,  
and the Death Hand dashed at him.

He located the fist flying at him, and Ludwig, instead of blocking it, ducked underneath it and pushed his sword at Kevin's chest, inflicting a huge wound on his chest. Kevin backfisted his opponent after the strike, and jumped back again.

"Good move, Hell Knight."

"You are not that great warrior I thought you were." said Ludwig, now being the one who was mocking his opponent. The Death Hand swallowed and replied "You will see what I am capable of!"

Without much thinking, Kevin pushed his physical advantage and jumped right at the Hell Knight, sending a mighty fist towards his head.  
Ludwig smiled, knowing he had already won.

"That was a mistake."

Using his sword, Ludwig was able to easily block the punch, effectively inflicting a cut on his opponent hand, who had to get it away quickly to avoid losing an arm. Kevin landed next to Ludwig and, grabbing his arm in pain, tried a high jump kick, which sorely missed and barely earned him a second wound, now in the right leg. Ludwig took a second on the offensive, and pushed the Death Hand away, giving him enough distance to send a second Dark Banishment at his opponent, but Kevin reacted quickly enough, and grabbed his hand and sent him crashing against the Devil Prince's throne.

Ludwig climbed it back, sat on it, and laughed. He then asked "Losing your temper, Death Hand?"

Kevin simply glared at his opponent, knowing he had already lost.

After a few seconds of tense silence, Ludwig jumped off the throne and ran at Kevin, and the beastman did exactly the same. Ludwig raised his sword, and the Death Hand pushed his sane hand at him. Gathering every ounce of their strength, the two Hell Generals were ready to give an end to this battle.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The Hell Knight tried stopping his dash, but the ground didn't offered enough friction and slid a few meters before stopping forcefully due to Kevin's fist impacting against his left cheek. Surprisingly enough, Ludwig managed to sustain the whole damage without falling down. Both warriors looked to the entrance were the voice had come from, which was exactly the same where _they_ came from.

It was Riesz.

She stood there, stunned and out of herself, watching at Kevin, not believing his eyes and not thinking. She hugged herself and the only thing she managed to mutter was "This is not right..."

The Death Hand didn't answer. Ludwig raised an eyebrow, and tried saying something but he couldn't find anything to say. Riesz slowly walked towards the two warriors, but her eyes were buried on Kevin. He looked vastly different, bigger, taller, more muscular, his eyes were red, his face had been twisted. All the kindness on his glare was gone. She lift up her hand to touch his face, but Kevin violently refused.

"Don't"

"Why... why not? Why not Kev-"

"DO NOT MENTION THAT NAME AGAIN, STARLANCER!" screamed, as if he had been hit by a nine inch nail in the back "I am the Death Hand."

"Do not call me Starlancer, KEVIN! That is your name! AND I DO HAVE A NAME TOO! Do not you dare tell me you have forgotten! Look at me! Do not look away, look at me!" Cried out Riesz trying to look into his eyes. Kevin merely closed his and announced "Kevin died. You saw me dying."

"You are here with me!" cried out, now sobbing in tears, Riesz, who threw herself to hold Kevin. Out of surprise, Kevin sent one of his powerful punches at her, but in the middle of the confusion, Ludwig threw himself at the Death Hand, taking him down and saving Riesz of the physical pain.

"You are here with me, Kevin..." sobbed Riesz.

The Death Hand kicked the Hell Knight away, and got to his feet "No, Starlancer. Kevin died three years ago. I'm not longer the same. Did you wanted to look at me? LOOK AT ME NOW!" growled. Riesz lifted her view and watched into his eyes, discovering the pain, frustration, bloodlust and evil into the once innocent and pure eyes of the beastman. "Did you like what you saw? Did you even recognized what you saw, Starlancer? KEVIN IS GONE!"

Riesz backstep scared and uttered "Is that true, Death Hand? You can't remember what we shared? The friendships? The love? Who are you now?"

Kevin replied "I'm what I was destined to be once I sold myself to the dark side to gain the power needed to destroy the Dragon Emperor. I'm a Death Hand, General of the army of Hell, which will face the armies of Heaven in the Day of Reckoning. I do remember those things, Starlancer. But I've chosen to ignored them, as they don't mean anything to me now."

Riesz swallowed her tears and asked "So... I wasted it all, right?"

"Yes, you did."

Ludwig observed the whole scene intrigued. This was like a soap opera, except that now it all seemed to make sense. For a moment,  
he felt a sudden rage, which he was more than happy to outburst on Kevin, but in the following he felt a powerful depression bringing him down.

"Just to watch you go, right? You were never happy..."

Still keeping his distance, Kevin uttered "No. And I won't ever be. So don't waste your tears with me."

The Death Hand turned around and said "You are free to go now."

"Wait, Death Hand."

He turned around and watched Riesz, now completely serene. She gestured several times before letting her hands down, and asked "Did you ever listen?"

The Death Hand, for the first time, smiled and replied "Yes, I did."

"I never wanted you to die."

"Don't start, Starlancer."

"No, listen Ke-" started Riesz, but remembering his words, she corrected herself and continued "Death Hand. I never wanted you to die, I did all I could and more, I battled with death itself to save you... but Heath killed you, I couldn't do anything, I don't think you wanted me to help you... like now."

"It doesn't matters by now. It was just a matter of time before I suicided or something similar out of spite. I loved you once, and that is something I will never be able to do again. Not because I can't, but because I despise that feeling. I understand everything, don't take me as a lost soul. Simply, I choose not to care."

"How could you become something like that?"

"We've all changed, Riesz." And he quickly turned around and walked away. Riesz woke up out of her stun, and ran at him screaming his name, but a sudden wall formed out of the dust and blocked her way between her lost love and herself. She smashed it, kicked it, and took out the Stargazer and tried slashing it open, but nothing could she do against the powers of Hell itself. She finally gave up crying and fell to her knees against the newly formed wall.

"He might very well be right, Riesz."

She turned around to watch Ludwig, slowly caressing the ruby prison of Michelle. "We've all changed. It might have taken us years or days,  
but, perhaps, we're not the same persons we were before."

"What do you know, Hell Knight?" replied, spiteful, Riesz.

"Oh God... what wouldn't I give to be ignorant of it all, Starlancer?"

Riesz noticed, all of sudden, the situation. He wasn't speaking to her, but to Michelle, who remained motionless, eternally beautiful only until Ludwig died and the circle was over at last.

"So close yet so far... just centimeters ago... what wouldn't I give to touch you..."

Washing away her tears, Riesz asked "You loved her, right?"

Ludwig snapped out of it and looked at her, and answered "Yeah...  
but I've just come to realize that... now..."

Riesz smiled slightly and said "Perhaps we have not changed... perhaps everything else did, and we are all that is left of yesterday."

"I still love her."

"What do you mean?"

"I never told her. I always said 'you look pretty tonight', always defended her whenever she needed me, always were there when she needed someone to cry, always there. But I never told her I loved her, and now that she's just there, dead alive, I realize I still love her, and that we wasted all of our time without playing out our part. You can't understand that... we were all we had. Without each other, we had nothing left to die for."

"Of course I do, Hell Knight." replied Riesz, back to her motherly nature. "I was a princess, raised alone. All I had was my brother until I met Duran."

"It's still different" said Ludwig.

"No, Ludwig. It isn't."

Ludwig realized that the voice wasn't Riesz'. He lifted his view, and noticed how the translucent Michelle was looking at him. He, who under similar situations would have freaked out, was simply struck paralyzed.

"Calm down, babe. It's me. It's nothing you haven't seen before."

Riesz did freak out. But she stood silent, knowing that this was something she wasn't meant to interfere with.

"Michelle? How?" asked, incredulous, Ludwig.

"You have quite the intense emotions, Ludwig. Oh dear... Sometimes I think that frigging curse was more of a blessing. I bet you don't remember the curse, right?" asked Michelle, putting her hands on her hips and smiling.

"Sort of..." replied, still struck.

"You were supposed to lose your memory, your emotions, your personality. You didn't. You didn't because you cared. But it still attacks you... Why the long face, Ludwig? Why the sadness?"

The Hell Knight let go of the Deathbringer, which clashed loudly in the floor, and put both his hands on the sides of the stone, like trying to hold his friend. She extended her arms to meet her hands with his,  
though she couldn't touch them.

"I want to get you out of here... you're still stuck there because of my fault! I was supposed to die! I _wanted_ to die!" a new tear rolled down his face "I wanted to die with you! It was enough! Enough pain!  
Enough death! Enough of it all! now I'm left here without anyone! Without you!" he gripped tightly at the stone "I will die! You will be free!"

He took a step back and looked at her "We will meet again..."

"No."

"What?" asked Ludwig at Michelle's response.

"We don't need to meet again. Who knows how will we meet when we're reborn, anyway? We did more than enough this life..." she answered,  
slowly and surely.

"No! We did not! I never told you how much you meant to me! I never told you that you were the only one I cared for! Did I?!" replied furiously the Hell Knight, throwing himself against the stone. "No.  
I didn't. I didn't, and now it's no use. Now I screwed up a whole fucking plane, and you're there trapped."

"Oh Ludwig... for crying out loud... How many times did you expressed that? You didn't need to tell me. Remember those sleepless nights?  
With all of your nightmares, where I had to hold your hand just so you could close your eyes? remember the times you came to me to cry on my shoulder? Do you even remember when you told me, and I quote, babe, 'I love you too much to let myself hurt you any longer'?"

Ludwig blinked and answered, slightly numbed "I can't remember that last one."

"Of course you don't, silly!" laughed the red-haired girl "It was a few days after you tried to date me. Remember? You wanted to be my serious boyfriend, because, as you said, you wanted to tie me to you if anything happened! Oh boy... I can remember the look in your face when i told you that it was not a good idea... You told me that you wanted it to last longer, so much you fought for it, and it lasted barely a month. Do you remember now? Jean? The boy you almost beat down to dust, who was your friend, or so you thought?  
The one who had taken a liking of me, and you didn't do anything because,  
after all, we were friends, and you shouldn't have been jealous, but in the end I never wanted him, and you tried being my boyfriend!"

Ludwig's eyes opened like they had never been open before, and he said "Oh, my God, I had forgotten that!"

"Yes, Ludwig, I know. You forgot it. You forgot it. You told me you wanted to forget it, you wanted to forget you were in love with me and you wanted to forget it all happened. And you almost cried.  
And you told me you had promised yourself you wouldn't cry ever again. A few days later, you arguably forgot about everything, and became continuously more dry, your emotions died away... you were becoming a Hell Knight again, and the curse had kicked over again.  
A few days later it all started..."

A third tear rolled down his cheek and he whispered "I know it happened. But I can't remember..."

"And you won't. But, Ludwig, you did it. You let me know you cared for me. And now I can tell you still care. And I do as well... but you know what they say, Ludwig: if you love them, you gotta let them go..."

Ludwig smashed his head against the stone and whispered "Don't say that, Michelle." The girl moved her hand as if to caress him and told him "I can wait here. For all eternity. This won't beat me... but you have found new life, you can still live, you can still beat that curse and be happy... I'll be happy if you manage to change that angst and pain for happiness."

She sighed and continued "I wouldn't have worked. Believe me." and smiled.

"Just because it wouldn't have worked was not an excuse to stop trying."

"Yes, it was. It would have harmed us. An I don't think a Heaven Knight and a Hell Knight are very stable creatures, are we? I can remember wiping out an entire city because we were pissed off at some silly undead army!"

Ludwig chuckled at this comment, and the girl laughed "See? We loved each other! But we were never in love with each other. We were in love with our images, with what we have done for each other. You just miss me. Don't scare others off, people who have trusted you.  
That would be unfair, right, Ludwig? And that sucks. You can live without me..."

"I can live without anyone if that's not you..." said, slightly spoiled,  
the Hell Knight, perhaps joking. Michelle, however, frowned and said:

"I think I once said this: Everyone needs something to live. No one can live by oneself. Not you and neither can I. That doesn't mean that we cease existing, Ludwig. We just kinda stop living as a definition."

"Then how can I live without you? What do you expect me to do here? This is not my place, I can't learn to trust this people? I'm an outsider, Michelle. I'm not meant to find anything or anyone here!"

"Oh boy... Just like back in Break Point" Smiled, sympathetic, Michelle. "You could have the world in the front of your nose and you wouldn't notice... You have already found it. You just resist,  
go back and forth on decisions... But someone who can mean a lot to you is already there. Someone who clicked with you instantly."

"She will never be able to substitute you." replied Ludwig.

"You better never find someone who can substitute me, you frigging bastard!" laughed Michelle "But... You can't try to find someone like that. Do you think it would be the same? Probably not. Most likely.  
Almost surely, it won't be the same. But many formulas can lead to the same result. Don't be afraid to try again. You never tried really back home. Now you have to learn. But don't miss the opportunity we never had, Ludwig. You've gotta go now."

"What?"

"Your new friends need you."

"Wait! How do we leave then? How did we even came here?"

Michelle laughed and replied "Well, the Death Hand brought her here.  
I don't know why. But, girl, he still loves you. Or at least misses you!"

Riesz, who had watched the whole incident, nodded with her head, and grabbed Ludwig's hand within her own "Time to go, Ludwig. Say goodbye."

"Wait!"

"No, it's time..."

"I'll miss you, Michelle. I... love you..." he uttered, pushing his hand towards the stone. Pushing her own in the same spot, Michelle replied "I'll miss you too... and I love you too. I'll be watching you, so behave, kid!"

"Michelle! What was your last name?!" asked desperate Ludwig. Michelle barely smiled and answered "Baladies, sweetie. Goodbye."

The ground began to shake, and an enormous rock tower rose from the ground taking the two warriors up. The ruby stayed behind, and no sign of movement was seen. It all was like a dream, and the whole hall and the whole Hell they had experienced faded to black. Ludwig looked behind to watch a benevolent and smiling Riesz, and he asked "Was it real, Star Lancer?"

"It was as real as you would like it to be, Hell Knight."

* * *

_"Playground school bell rings again _  
_Rain clouds come to play again _  
_Has no one told you she's not breathing?_

_Hello I'm your mind giving you someone to talk to Hello..._

_If I smile and don't believe _  
_Soon i know I'll wake from this dream_  
_ Don't try to fix me I'm not broken _  
_Hello I'm the lie living for you so you can hide _  
_Don't cry..._

_Suddenly I know I'm not sleeping _  
_Hello I am still here _  
_All that's left of yesterday"_

**Evanescence "Hello"**

* * *

_Author Notes:_  
_Well, the happiness waned away rather quickly, did it not? But it was enough. Ludwig needs some solace. Poor guy. Hell, after writing this, _I_ feel depressed. As for the ones who're thirsty with action, well, stay tuned. _


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 (I) - Tears in Heaven -**

As the whole army of Rolante ranked and filed in the interim of the immense castle walls of the kingdom, Charlotte tried her best to keep Jessica sane in the absence of both Ludwig and Riesz, who simply seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth in the darkest moment of civilization.

Duran merely waited in the walls of the castle trying to get a grip and form a good enough plan to hold off the undead hordes as long as possible.  
He wasn't sure about what was he waiting for, but he knew, deep inside,  
that the Hell Knight and the Star Lancer would eventually come back,  
and help them fend off the opposing army. There was not much else to do, he though, and the black sky was signaling that death was in the air.

He then stood above the main gate, a formidable gate which was several meters thick, looking at the plague. It literally seemed like millions of walking corpses were waiting for any sign to attack and tore down the walls. In the horizon, he could see the colossal four-legged beasts mechanical beasts which were called the Stratadons, the siege engines of the Black Plague, unstoppable to anyone, though Riesz had been able to take one down on a mighty show of power back in Forcena.

"So, it seems as if this is the end of it, my friends..." said Duran, talking to the human armies "And we shall not fall. You have suffered for centuries, shunned by society, and your own courage led you to become a world-renowned army and a famous country, made the people forget about your dark past. And now, you are the last bastion of hope for humanity. This plague will attack. In the name of all people, you have to win. These beasts feel no pain. They won't be tired. They will not retreat under overwhelming resistance. But they don't have a soul. They don't have a reason. They have nothing to fight for. You do. You fight for your life and home. Lose, and everything you held dear will disappear. Win, and your turf will stay for you, you will be proud, and you will be able to live on and build a new world."

He then unsheathed his sword and held it high "Today, we celebrate our day! Today, we will defeat the darkness that it's that plague!  
TODAY WE WIN!"

The whole army went insane screaming and their fervor was unequaled.

Duran stood, next to Jessica, and Charlotte, and said "Let the siege engines fire doom upon our enemies!"

Four stones, roughly the size of an elephant, flew above the walls of the castle, splattering several regiments of undead as they advanced unnerving at the castle. This pattern repeated several times, though the thousands of decimated undead seemed to be but a grain of sand.

As the monstrous horde walked towards the castle, the immense walls opened, and from there, millions of humans, valkiries, knights, mages,  
archers, and everything possible ran from it, to meet the undead in battle.

The two masses collide in battle in a thunderous roar of pain.

But an even louder sound stopped for a brief second the battle. Suddenly, the ground seemed to open up and a massive canyon was formed, from where sulfur, lava and fire was shoot up - strangely targeted at the undead ranks - and two giant stone pillars erupted.

Atop them both where two figures.

One, was a well-developed feminine one, sporting a long and bright spear, long hair flopping with the wind, and a stern presence. It was Riesz Rolante. The Queen of Rolante. The Star Lancer.

The other was a frail looking masculine one, handling a long bastard sword, long hair tied up behind his ears, and kneeling down, like waiting for the excuse to jump and kill. It was Ludwig Crowbane. The innocent dark side. The Hell Knight.

Jessica's eyes seemed to lit up and shoot sparks when she saw them both alive.  
"They are alive, Charlotte! Look!"

Carlie rise from her stance to watch the show, somewhat not believing what she saw. They seemed to come from hell itself, and while Riesz conserved her purity, Ludwig seemed more disturbed than ever before.

_Sometimes I wish I killed him before it all started..._

Ludwig and Riesz both jumped off the pillars to join the battle. Duran, on his own, jumped off as well as he screamed "CHARGE!" to wake everyone up from this starling episode.

Both armies meet in battle and destruction ensues. Duran leads the human armies and hacks and slashes at whatever he finds on his haste. Jessica sends arrows at the undead files, while the unnerving enemies walk slowly at their living counterparts. Like a sea of walking dead, the Plague charged in their own way, oblivious to their fallen brethren.

Riesz stands in the middle of the battle group, kicking a big zombie and sending it down, splattering a few partners in the mess. She then runs over the inert body of the monster and jumps at another group.

Ludwig, on his own, shots out his sword at the nearest monster, and jumps at it to get it back, turning around and hitting another squad of undead. The Hell Knight cuts in half a good number of enemies before hitting something metallic. He looks up and watches as an undead has blocked his attack with an axe. Ludwig smiles and pushes his strength to make the monster stumble and does a backward slash to decapitate the monster. Bathed in blood, he screams an intelligible word and buries his sword on the ground, sending a massive black wave to destroy all monsters ten meters around him.

Charlotte stands there, watching it all, thinking about her options. While the heroes are certainly doing her part, the undead wave seems to be endless. She then tuned in her holy powers to try and turn the enemies away. As she recited her holy proses, the undead seemed to stop for a moment, some running away and some falling down and convulsionating.

The human armies took this chance to eliminate lots of undead, until a cry was heard in the distance "THE STRATADONS ARE COMING!"

Ludwig, Jessica, Duran and Riesz stopped for a second and watched the enormous titans walking towards the castle. The four-legged menaces, vaguely reminiscent of a rhino, advanced slowly, stepping on friends and foes alike, without a halt.

Riesz had taken out one back in Forcena with a great deal of work, but these four seemed unstoppable without Angela's Ancient spell. Still, she thought, there was to be a way. If she could take out one, Ludwig and Duran could as well, and the fourth could be taken out as well.

She quickly ran at the closest Stratadon, but was interrupted by a knight in a black and red armor... a Duelist.

"Damn" she cursed through gritted teeth. The only Duelist she had ever seen was destroyed by Duran a few years back, and she was too busy to watch how it moved or attacked. Furthermore, the Stratadon had taken its work to trample the Star Lancer while she escaped the multiple strikes of the powerful enemy.

Riesz decided to counterstrike after a slash which went way too open, and kicked the Duelist in the face, following with a wide arc attack to the face. The Duelist evaded the strike by centimeters, and tried to punch her, but she grabbed his hand and tried to send him down to the floor. The Duelist used his superior strenght to hold on to his ground.

He then threw her to the floor, and she had to roll fast to evade the gargantuan hoof of the Stratadon. She glanced several Negators fighting off Duran and Ludwig, but she was too busy to help them. She then jumped back on his feet, and looked around to find the Duelist. She suddenly felt a sharp slash on her back,  
and screamed in pain: The Duelist had scored a hit on her.

She tried hard to keep on her feet, and, in a feet of rage, she sent her right foot right into the Duelist's stomach. He catched it, and backtracked a couple steps, while Riesz kicked him again on the face twice, two punches, and a backfist strike followed by an axe hit on his head threw him to his knees.

"You all have gotten a lot stronger after these years, haven't you?" Uttered the Duelist, spitting blood after that flurry of hits. Riesz took him from the hair, and pointing her spear at his face, said "It is called experience, bastard".

She then impaled her sword on the Duelist's face. She let the corpse fall down, doubled on the floor, and sighed. As it seemed, those rage attacks came every once in a while still.

* * *

_"Experience is a chain of mistakes."_

* * *

**Chapter 9 (II) - Turn around -**  
-

Ludwig was pressing on, taking out undead by the dozen, but another Negator was the last thing he wanted to see. The one he took back in Forcena was tough enough and now there were three of 'em backing him and Duran off.

"Any ideas, Paladin?"

"Uh... Aim for the head."

The two swordsmen tried to hit their necks, but the Negators blocked the strike, and the third on trampled on them,  
sending them against the leg of a Stratadon. Ludwig got back on his feet fast, and sent another wave of black energy at the Negators, two of them blown away, while the third evaded it, aiming a powerful kick at the unwary Ludwig.

Duran got back up, and slashed the robot, causing it to lose its balance, when he noted a shadow above him. He quickly jumped to his right, and observed how the enormous hoof of the Stratadon ended the existence of its ally, as the Negator was instantly destroyed by the weight of it. He smiled, and watched how the other two were running at him. He got up, and prepared to meet them in combat and probably getting killed. He then saw a swift image running on his side.

The image was Ludwig, who threw himself at on of the Negators, causing both combatants to be violently thrown back as they crashed. He thought fast and raised his shield to throw the other Negator off-balance, trying to get a hit on some soft area.

No such luck, as the thing seemed tough all around. Still, the Negator seemed confused, and with the Stratadon shooting lasers and trying to step on them like cockroaches, he might trick the thing to kill the Negator.

With amazing skill, he jumped around the Negator trying quick slashes, a thing he knew wouldn't work, but it could help to keep it out balance. The Negator efficiently but costly evaded or blocked his strikes, and finally caugh his sword. Duran merely smiled, and pushed forward, watching the enormous metal pillar that composed the hoof of the Stratadon fall on the Negator.

Then he was struck.

The Negator could hold the Stratadon foot with its bare hands.

He could swear he heard it laughing.

"Oh-okay..." he mumbled as he staggered back.

However, he saw how Ludwig got to his feet, and ran at it. "Time to go back to your timelessness, BASTARD!", and the Hell Knight delivered a massive blow at the beast mid-section, making it double in pain, and be crushed by the weight of the metal colossus. Incredibly enough, the Stratadon lost it grip,  
and fell sideways, crashing into the ground and smashing anything below it.

Seemingly dazed, the Stratadon started to shot lasers to the hell it crossed. Friends and enemies were hit, and Duran took his work to stop many of the hits, but some were dangerously far from his shield.

"Hell Knight, quickly, take down those things!"

"Roger that, Paladin!

Ludwig jumped to slash the guns down, only to get caught in mid-air by the last Negator. They both fell down, and the Negator started a series of punches directed at Ludwig's face. He evaded several, deflected others, and received one devastating blow to the face, causing him to scream in pain as the iron fist crashed his head. An explosion saved him from another punch as the Negator looked back to see one of the laser guns explode. Fortunately for them,  
particularly for Ludwig, the slayer of the gun was Jessica, who was aiming enchanted arrows at the thing. He quickly kicked the Negator away, and got back to his feet, washing the blood away.

A second explosion signaled Duran's comeback, and he stood by the other side of the Negator. With both combatants at it, the Negator evaluated its options, and stood down.

Duran and Ludwig impaled it, satisfied, but the Negator had something else in mind, as it grabbed them by the head and crushed their skulls together, and they heard a slight computer voice utter "Self-destruction sequence initiated".

"Shit." cursed Ludwig. Slowly, he tried to get away, but he couldn't.  
Duran couldn't either. As the timer reached to zero, he realized something...

He quickly impaled the beast in the stomach, cutting the cable which moved the liquid which moved the beast.

Five.

Four.

Three.

And the timer stopped.

He smiled, thinking how the beast even needed something to die.

They both stood for a moment, regaining their breath. Duran asked incredulous "How did you know that would work?"

Ludwig replied still smiling "I didn't. I simply didn't. Call it instinct", and winked. They both laughed and reached the Stratadon head, still moving, but unable to do harm.

"Allow me, Hell Knight"

* * *

_"All that I know _  
_ There was no god for me_  
_ Force that shatters all _  
_Absence of mortality"_

**Fear Factory "Resurrection"**

* * *

**Chapter 9 (III) - Safe side of danger -**  
-

Jessica screamed in excitement when the Stratadon fell and she saw the two swordsmen celebrate the triumph. There were still three other Stratadons, but the undead were being kept in check and the armies were swarming them. The living (or mechanical) parts of the Plague were still a problem, and she took part on it to destroy each of the laser guns of the Stratadons: without them, the rest of the party could easily take them down.

With the help of the surviving magicians of Altena, her arrows and the ones of their partners were being enchanted with powerful magic, making them explode upon impact. With her exceptional accuracy, she took off two laser guns of two different Stratadons. Half as powerful, they were still extremely dangerous. She tried, but the distance was great. Suddenly, a laser was aimed at her.

Quickly she turned around and ducked, but the explosion created by the ray of light caught her and she was dropped down from the castle walls, screaming in her way down. She fell over one of the many convulsionating undead, causing her to flinch in horror. Nothing had prepared her to such a horrifying sight of the monsters and the corpses lying around her.

She covered her face and then she lowered her hand, letting go of her bow. She pressed backwards against the castle walls, not hearing the cries of Charlotte leaning over to ask her.

"Are you okay, Jessica? Answer to me! Please, girl, look here!" but her words fell into thin air. desperate, she jumped down, and fell near her.

"ANSWER TO ME, GIRL!" she shouted at the petrified archer. Jessica looked at her and whispered "This... is... horrible, Bishop..."

"Yes, it is, girl, come back into the castle! It's too dangerous here!" she pleaded, but she didn't really answered.

"I can't believe they can live with this"

Carlie bit her lower lip and closed her eyes "They are warriors, Jessica. This is, in short, what they live for. There is no use to try to understand them, Jessica, nor you or me will ever understand death as they do. Come back with me into the castle."

Jessica screamed as she watched behind the Priest. A huge, metal skinned monster with a chitinous skin like an insect, with a green glowing shield and a massive bloody claw as weapons, attacked the two girls. Startled by the scream, Charlotte turned around, and barely managed to get them both out of the way.

The monster was a Phyrexian Scuta, as Charlotte recognized it as one of the monsters they slew back in Forcena when Hawk fell.  
She knew, while it was an undead monster, it was still immune to her holy powers, and with Jessica in this state, there was little she could do.

The Scuta attacked. With not much options available, she threw Jessica to one side and jumped to the other, hoping the girl would wake up from her state. Hopefully, she did, and managed to quickly grab her bow and arrow and take a hit at the undead menace. This gave her some time to think.

Meanwhile, Duran and Ludwig were trying to make head out of tails of the situation. While they were still winning, they still needed to take out those three Stratadons, and they couldn't see where most of their armies, including Riesz and Charlotte, and more importantly Jessica, were. The dead piled up on the field, and they began climbing the Stratadon to get a clearer view.

"Do you think this will be the last, Paladin" asked, unusually innocent, Ludwig.

Duran laughed and replied "I sure hope so, Hell Knight!"

They both laughed as they reached the top of the now inert Stratadon. As the dust cleared, they observed what little remained of the undead army, cleared out by both the Stratadons and the human armies. For some reason, this was amusing, as the mechanical part of the Plague did almost as much work against the Undead in their work to nail the heroes. As they spotted Riesz, they ran in her general direction, though they were cut dry by a falling Stratadon, which was efficiently mobbed down by the human armies.

Satisfied, they resumed their run, but a massive energy wave hit them and sent them down. The wave hit the Stratadon, making it explode in a thousand pieces, and killing a great amount of humans. Duran, enraged at the event, looked in the general direction where the wave came from... and was struck frozen.

* * *

_"If I can walk alone and try to escape into me"_

**Disturbed "Remember"**

* * *

**Chapter 9 (III) - New Dead Nation-**  
-

Riesz, with all of her might, jumped into the Stratadon near her, and tried to pull off the same trick she did in Forcena, though this Stratadon seemed to have learnt from its fallen brother to don't stop moving when a Star Lancer is on its back trying to kill it.

She finally reached the controls, but a massive explosion made the Stratadon tumble, and while she succeeded in opening the controls, she only managed to stay hanging by one of the laser guns for her dear life, as a fall this high would be too difficult to recover from like to avoid the trampling action of the four-legged beast, when she noticed the Scuta harassing Jessica and Carlie. She nearly fell when she noted that the two girls were in certain danger, and she had to find a plan to help them.

'hmm... those lasers... that would be a suicidal plan..."

Still, it was a good shot, she thought.

Riesz balanced her body to fall to the head of the Stratadon, and, using all of her strength, managed to get a grip of the gun. She then directed it at the general direction as the beast shot wildly. One laser hit her leg, making a deep cut, and another hit the wall.

But the third one was a clean hit, tearing open the Scuta.

As the Scuta fell, the Stratadon seemed to be hit by regret, as it stopped firing for a second, then it shook its head wildly. Riesz tried to keep gripping the gun, but the gun finally broke up and she was sent flying and crashed against the ground.

Riesz gradually opened her eyes, just in time to see the Stratadon falling down over her. She rolled back and avoided it just in time as the stratadon crashed down, as if it had suffered a short-circuit from regret. But when she heard another crash, and realized it was the last Stratadon, she knew something was wrong.

"FINALLY, I HAVE RETURNED"

The monstrous voice echoed along the eternal mountains, and it deafened everyone in there. The sound of death was, apparently, louder than anything else. Riesz covered her ears and screamed in pain as her sound system seemed to collapse. She dropped her spear and dropped herself to her knees, still with her hands to the sides of her head.

"DID YOU THOUGHT I WAS GONE?"

She then felt a strong, but caring hand. She turned around, still confused, to watch Ludwig, emotionless, as he grabbed her and pulled her back into reality. Even stranger, he grabbed her in his arms and carried her back into the castle.

"I AM NOT, HEROES OF THE SWORD! AND THAT INCLUDES YOU, HELL KNIGHT!"

She could see their lips move, but she couldn't hear anything. She was in shock still, and Ludwig gave her to Duran, whose face returned some happiness to the moment.

"I AM HERE FOR REVENGE, AND TO GET YOU, HELL KNIGHT!"

She dropped her down at the care of Charlotte, who continued talking, since she didn't know she couldn't hear... perhaps... she didn't want to hear anything.

"I WAS DOWN WITH THE ANTICHRIST! I AM BLESSED YET DAMNED!  
I'M FALLEN, YET RESURRECTED! I'M ALL OF NOTHING!"

Her head slipped to the side, when she saw an enormous spider, bigger than anything else she had ever seen, walk in the horizon towards the castle, and the voice seemed to have come from that direction.

Sound slowly came back to her ears.

"Just what the HELL is that, Paladin?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Hell knight!"

"Stop arguing and think of something, dammit! And do something with Riesz!"

"Riesz is okay, she's just in shock, Jessica, and you could do good to think up something else as well!

"Like, what do you expect me to think! I'm here, in the middle of a sea of corpses, and what was left of the army has retreated back to the castle, Charlotte!"

"It was MY order, Jessica, and I don't want anyone else dead! If someone, or something can stop that thing is US! not them!"

"Bloody hell, you two can stop arguing! Hell Knight, please tell me you've seen that"

"In a dream or two, yes."

"Very funny."

"What do you think? I'm not a fucking library! I fucking need a cigarette!"

"You should stop smoking, not because it kills but because it takes you time off when you should be thinking of a way to kill that thing! Weren't you in an academy?"

"Yes, Jessica, but 'giant metallic spiders' wasn't in 'things to know where you're off in some strange dimension, Volume I'. Sorry."

Ludwig looked at Riesz, who was blinking "Well, at least she's again awake. Now..." He reached the cigarette pack he had on his pocket, drenched with blood, and took off one cigarette that actually looked like a normal one, and lit it. He took one long breath, and said "Calm down everyone, it isn't anything we haven't seen before. I suppose..."

He shut down suddenly.

"What happened?" asked, slowly, Jessica.

"I knew that voice was awfully familiar."

He looked at Riesz, and Riesz got up immediately and said in a firm voice "Black".

"I thought you sliced him to pieces." asked, jokingly, Duran.

"Well, you can't really count on it when everything you kills comes back over and over stitched together."

"HOW SMART, HELL KNIGHT. I THOUGHT IT WAS OBVIOUS."

They all turned around and watched the beast now a couple of kilometers away. It was moving fast, and it suddenly hasted against our party. Duran grabbed Riesz and Charlotte, and Ludwig grabbed Jessica, and they all jumped out of the way as the six-legged monster crashed against the massive walls of Rolante.

"HOW ABOUT A REMATCH, HEROES?" asked the monster, as it moved a small box from below itself. It seemed to have a monitor, and they were all surprised when they saw the old familiar face in there.

"DID YOU THINK I WAS A GONER? ME? AN IMMORTAL? DID YOU THINK I WAS THAT VAIN? DID YOU THINK THAT I HAD MY TITLE OUT OF WHAT? BUREOCRACY? I AM HERE AGAIN TO FINISH MY JOB!"

Duran took up this opportunity to jump at the monitor, but it retracted back way too quickly to reach it. He landed, and watched as a cannon emerged from the very same spot, and was aimed at him.

Duran opoened his eyes wide and began running, and the energy wave was shot just behind him, not harming him directly but sending him crashing into the ground ten or so meters ahead. He recovered quickly enough and raised his sword at him, defying him.

"Great that you're back. I will be the *first* one to congratulate you!" Duran then jumped again and began climbing up the leg of the spider, and the spider itself began to shake it quickly. The strength of the Paladin proved to be enough, and he held tightly.

"FINE THEN"

The beast shot out another energy wave directed at... its leg. This one caught Duran completely off-guard, and he was hit completely by the power of the biolaser. He fell down limp, crashing down hard into the floor, not moving at all.

Charlotte ran at his aid, while Jessica readied her arrows, Ludwig and Riesz already running at it. The Hell Knight jumped at the energy cannon, succeeding in slashing it swiftly, while the Star Lancer Impaled her sword in the same box that released it. They succeeded into driving it back a few steps, but the robot recovered and showed off a few new guns it had concealed beneath its metal carcass, and sent out lasers flying at them.

Ludwig choose to deflect them with his sword, while Riesz simply evaded them. She nodded at Ludwig, who used all of his strenght to jump and hang on to one of the lasers, and bended it, causing it to overheat and explode, sending him down to earth, but distracting it.

Riesz raised her spear, and began chanting...

Angel which roams the skies...  
Angel which controls the nature of sound...  
You who cast your shadow over the darkness And turns them silent to their doom...  
Come to my aid, my noble Guardian Angel.

MARDUKE, I SUMMON YOU!

Escaping the violent attempts to crush him, Ludwig ran away from it, with an escape routed effectively provided by Jessica's arrows, who kept the monster busy with a flurry of shots. He took her into his arms, and send her flying into the castle walls, and he said to Charlotte, "Take Duran inside. I get the feeling this is gonna be a toughie!"

"You have no idea, Ludwig!" and she smiled. As she ran inside, a huge roar erupted from the black skies as if it was going to scream. A ray of light cleared off the darkness in the battlefield as a massive angel descended from Heaven itself and it positioned himself in front of the spider monster.

"I HAVE COME TO BANISH YOU FROM EARTH AT ONCE. YOUR CONTINUOUS ACTS OF DEPRAVATION UPON THE FALLEN HAVEN ENRAGED THE GODS, WHO ONLY WAITED FOR AN EXCUSE TO LET MY WRATH COME DOWN ON YOU, BLACK. TIME TO DIE, ABOMINATION!"

Black guessed the voice came from the mouth less angel, with a bright golden armor and massive wings. It was nearly his size. However, not intimidated, the beast raised on two legs and fell over the angel, who catched him and began to battle him. While it was a close battle, the angel was winning, as Riesz continue to pray for him.

Marduke succeeded into pushing the monster down, when Black opened his gun panels and began shooting him. Clearly in pain, Marduke doubled himself, still inflicting strain into Black's new body.

Then, a final sound was heard. Ludwig turned his head to see a third pillar raised from the depths of Hell again. On top, a muscular figure awaited the top.

"BEGONE ANGEL, THIS IS NOT YOUR FIGHT!"

Riesz opened her eyes to recognize none other that Kevin... the Death Hand. It was his voice, it was impossible to mistake it as someone else's, and she directed her eyes at the pillar, shocked.

The Death Hand jumped from the pilar against Black, and screaming on his way down, fell crashing his feet against the very center of its circular body. The beast staggered, visibly damaged, as the Death Hand seemed to have hit a vital part of the engineering. The Angel vanished as Black screamed in pain:

"NO, DEATH HAND! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?"

"You can't fight instinct, Black", said Kevin as he jumped back from the monster's back. Riesz stood silent, stunned by the whole event.

Then a small figure was seen running at the prone spider robot. Shouting in anger, it jumped and screamed "DARK BANISHING", as it impaled its sword into the damaged center of the mechanical menace.

Ludwig jumped off the metal carcass just as it exploded in fire.

* * *

_"I am a way_

_ Prepare for salvation"_

**Fear Factory "Smasher/Devourer"**

* * *

_Author Notes:_

_Death to them all. Final chapter coming._


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 (I) - Sweet Revelation I -**

Ludwig stood watching the show of explosions, fire and actually death and destruction just in front of him with a sadistic smile, thinking about how difficult is to actually destroy a doppelgänger. His brown hair moved back and forth with the hot air currents created by the demise of the mechanical spider, and his red eyes never ceased staring blankly at the moment. The sky kept raining and the Death Hand watched satisfied how he had single-handedly turned the tides. The Hell Knight also thought about it, but most importantly he felt the urge to find out why had Kevin meddled with this affair.

But the moment was to be enjoyed.

Jessica ran outside the moment she heard the chaos in the border of the castle. At the second she saw Ludwig standing in front of the flames,  
she resumed her haste to reach him, and she ran at him, not knowing exactly if it was love, worry, or curiosity. Ignoring the dead bodies, the cries of the Negator chasing her, and the screams of Charlotte trying to keep her inside the castle walls, she jumped at Ludwig, holding him from behind with tears on her eyes. However, Ludwig didn't even turned his head. He was just staring at the fire.

"Ludwig! Are you okay? What happened? Why are you standing here?"

She heard no response. Ludwig merely blinked and looked back. He then smiled slowly and turned around.

"Apparently nothing."

Jessica pulled herself apart from the Hell Knight and, disappointed, asked "What happened to the Ludwig I talked to a few days ago? Who are you?"

Ludwig rose his chest proudly and answered "I am Lord Ludwig, Jessica. I am, unfortunately, a new person everyday. It pains me to know that it affects you. I can... I can barely remember the moments we've shared."

"It doesn't matters! Don't give me that stupid speech, Ludwig! I am still here! Don't you care?!"

"Of course I care." Ludwig sat down in the floor, ignoring the pandemonium around him "But I can't really do much about it."

He then looked down and let go of his sword. "I can't do much. I want to. I want you. I want to stay here, with you, to see what happens, to see if everything could work out... but watch all of this. See what I've brought to you? Do you think I can live with you knowing I killed everything you held dear once? Your life? Your parents? Your town?"

Jessica bit her lower lip trying to hold her tears, and she promptly slapped him with her right arm "I can't believe you already gave up. You killed that thing. You've saved us. You've got nothing to lose, nothing to love, nothing to gain, and now you've found friends, allies, answers, everything. Everything just below your fucking nose and you've chosen to just ignore it."

recognizing some truth on her words, he smiled again and replied "You know... sometimes... sometimes your seventeen years seem to make you look older. Your figure. Your life style. Your ideals. I can't make out what I have, yet you can throw it at me like rice. I am sorry."

She knelt and told him "Remember a few days ago? I told you I wanted to be your friend. I don't give a damn about what you have done. I do care about what you are."

Jessica then threw herself at Ludwig and kissed him long and tender.  
He held him tightly, like feeling him about to go away and never come back. He barely rounded her with one arm, and closed his eyes. A single tear came down and fell on the floor.

A moment of ironic silence took over the scene, but a sudden and massive explosion deafening our heroes broke out. From the flames, a masculine figure arose, and walked out of the remains of the spider.

"Bravo... bravo... Sometimes I get amazed about group work. Blah."

Ludwig arose his view, watching the monstrous figure coming out of the flames. Black, of course, was the one, once trapped inside the spider,  
came out for a last round, but something was different. His body, once similar to Ludwig's, was now an abomination standing several meters tall and wide, with four grotesquely deformed arms wielding different weapons, and its legs were enormously impressing. His face, once handsome and enigmatic, now was a bizarre parody of a human face, stitches and blood coagules all around.

Jessica felt vomit coming up from her throat but managed to stand firm, pointing her arrow at the thing. Ludwig barley took out his sword once again and asked, puzzled, "What in the world have you turned to, Black?"

"Something bigger and meaner than you, of course. Listen, well, I didn't really managed to escape in *one* piece last time, right?"

Black then opened his or its enormous jaws and screamed, deafening again everyone and causing everyone to black out for a second, a fateful second when everyone defined their lives...

Riesz jumped out of the building alongside Duran, to meet the monstrosity in battle. Carlie also took off, hoping to reach Ludwig before Black killed him or Jessica, as they both had passed out from the scream.

Duran reached the monster and tried a powerful cross slash at the thing, but it blocked it easily and counterattacked with a mighty jab at his face, sending him flying a few meters, and Riesz succeeded in catching the Paladin with her face. The monster then lifted Ludwig who was barely recovering conciousness by the neck, and claimed "Oh, Hell Knight!  
Don't tell me that was it?"

A powerful punch to his face.

"I thought you would be a lot more challenging!"

Another fist hit Ludwig's face.

"DO SOMETHING HELL KNIGHT! I WANT TO KILL AN ALIVE MAN!"

And a last hit was met by Ludwig's sword, effectively cutting the fist on two, and good part of the arm. The limp extremity then simply fell off dead, and hung from Black's arm. The monster, in pain, dropped the Hell Knight down, exhausted and slightly disoriented. He was held up by Charlotte, who had reached him finally, and asked "Ludwig? Can you hear me? Do you remember your name?"

Ludwig opened his eyes painfully and looked at the girl and said "Holy crap are you hot, you fucking nun!", then fell down heavily. Charlotte sighted and thought 'okay, he's out.'

Duran recovered and he coordinated a quick attack with Riesz, while Jessica was attended by Charlotte, who had given up on the funnily charming Ludwig.

The Paladin ran at the left of the abomination, while the Star Lancer flanked it from the right. With a simple blink, they both attacked.  
Unfortunately, though the movements of the monster seemed sluggish, the surprising speed was a powerful element. Black managed to stop both strikes, though the counter attack wasn't effective.

Both Warriors stood silent and breathing heavily at the sides of the thing, circling around it. Riesz then tried a quick piercing strike at Black, but the General sent a downwards punch at the weapon, succeeding in burying it in the heavy Rolantean ground. Riesz then jumped and did a flying roundhouse kick, robbing the monster of its stability, while Duran slashed it on the back, sending it back a few steps, though the beast stood on its feet.

Jessica woke up to find the nice face of the Bishop, and immediately asked "What's going on? Where is Ludwig? Where is Black?"

"Stand down, girl" said the Bishop "Ludwig is fine, though quite dizzy. Black is fighting with Duran and Riesz. Stand down!" screamed Charlotte, unable to impede the girl's attempts to get up. Jessica then grabbed her bow and arrow and started shooting arrows at the beast, which seemed to have its guard down.

However, no visible damage seemed to come from the shambler. It simply stood there staggering but still on full health - or fully undead -.

The three warriors then saw their weapons enchanted by the Priestess,  
glowing on white holy energy, and both Duran and Riesz smiled.

'This should do it.'

Riesz and Duran jumped at the beast again, while Jessica sent her last arrows aiming at the head of the thing. Slash after slash, nothing seemed to work against it. The thing stood still imponent, apparently unharmed by the attacks. For a few seconds, Riesz felt totally lost,  
but then, she recalled Kevin...

* * *

_"It's not the end  
Not the Kingdom come  
It is the journey that matters the distant wandering..."_

**Nightwish "Wanderlust"**

* * *

**CHAPTER 10 (II) - LOST MEMORIES IV -**  
-

Oh my Goddess. Is this the end of it all?

After all we have fought?

I cannot believe this is it. We have gone so far. I cannot let this stop me. But... not even Ludwig was able to deal with this abomination... And... Kevin... where are you?

I cannot see anything with this dense sand storm. I would like to hope you are up there, waiting for the exact moment to save us, but...  
why? You did not save Hawk, or Angela.

For the sake of heaven! You could not even save yourself!

Oh no. I cannot cry right now. I cannot. I have to stand strong. This is the final battle, and it is right here, in my homeland. But I feel so bad... so disappointed. I mean, i have to win! This is my turf, this is my time of glory. I will take you down, Black!

Come on Duran! Carlie! Jessica! Come to my side! We are the last beacon of hope for humankind! We need to win! Come to my side,  
my dear friends, for all the battles we have fought will mean nothing if this one is lost!

Do not cry for Ludwig! He will arise! He will not die! He has been our savior, but it is time for us to take the arms!

Do not cry for the fallen!

Do not cry for the pain!

Do not cry!

This will not be the end! We have so much to live for! We are so much to live for, friends!

For a moment of clarity, Riesz shrieked and sent her weapon at the head of the monster... and much to her surprise, she scored a hit, swift in the head...

* * *

**"You can win a thousand battles, but you can only lose one."**

**Zun Tzsu "The Art of War"**

* * *

**Chapter 10 (III) - Sweet Revelation II -**  
-

Black staggered back a few steps, this time visibly injured, and tried desperately to plug the spear out of its left eye, screaming with its horrifying voice in despair and pain, elevating the will and fervor of the defenders of humankind.

"YOU BITCH! YOU HAVE HURT ME! NOW YOU WILL DIE!"

Without even bothering to take off the weapon anymore, the beast ran at its offender, and send a powerful and swift strike with all of its resting three arms, hitting the Star Lancer fully in the chest, causing multiple injuries on her stomach, and sending her against a wall, crashing violently and screaming. Then Black turned around and used the momentum won by the turn to hit Jessica in the face, knocking her down, and finally trampled the Paladin.

However, Duran was able to stop it.

Both combatants stood silent at the scene. Cold sweat on his face, Duran was still suffering from his scars, but he was a battle-hardened warrior.  
It would take a lot more than that to take him down.

"Congratulations, Paladin. You have survived a single hit. It seems as if you like to suffer." taunted General Black. Duran merely smiled and muttered "Go to HELL, thing!"

"Well, of course I will. I have no other place to go. I've done a lot of evil here."

Duran used his superior speed to circle around the beast and slashed it a couple of times on its back. Then blocked a few strikes using his shield,  
but, much to his surprise, his shield was starting to get broken by the strikes of the monster.

"You will not be able to hide behind that piece of metal any longer, Paladin! It will eventually fail, as you will!"

The beast was right, and Duran knew it. Still, he had no better idea at the moment. With careful, precise hits, he planned to wear the beast down, though his shield might not make it.

Duran succeeded in hitting the beast a few more times, but, unaffected by the pain, the beast continued to hit down on the warrior. Eventually,  
a powerful punch broke the Sacred Shield on Duran's face. Surprised, the Paladin jumped back, hoping to catch the next strike with his sword.

Lucky as he was, he did not think he would survive. But a shadow cut the beast arm clean, and it stood in front of it.

It was Ludwig, who was staggering, but it seemed to be healthy. Well, as much health can one have after such a struggle. He stood firm, though weakened, determined to take down the doppelgänger and to defend his friends, his sight cold as always.

Black smiled and send all of his body mass at the two warriors. Ludwig waited and stuck his sword in the chest of the monster, but was unable to stop it and the beast collapsed on top of them, knocking them unconscious.

Ludwig and Duran were out of the battle.

Jessica laid out of her senses on the ground.

Riesz was convulsionating on the ground, having vomited blood from the impact.

Only Carlie was left.

As the beast walked towards the Bishop, Charlotte grasped her mace.  
She had never faced in direct combat anything bigger than a Goblin.  
Breathing slowly, she watched the beast on its eyes.

"YOU ARE DEAD NOW, GIRL!"

Black jumped against Carlie, but Carlie merely lifted her arms and turned the undead beast away, using her holy powers. The abomination seemed to be in painful suspended animation for a few seconds, until Carlie let go of him, running at Ludwig.

She tried unsuccessfully to wake him up, but he was out of it. She then tried to heal his body, but his arm was letting out a ridiculous amount of blood. He was cold and shaking, obviously he was passing out of blood lost.

Black got up. He began chanting "Bishop, Bishop, where are you? Where are you?"

"Gotcha"

He jumped again at Charlotte, missing the hit by inches before she could stop it again. "You won't get me that easily, beast! I am the bane of the undead made flesh!"

"How long will you be able to keep me from killing you, uh? I doubt you will resist as much longer as I can keep trying to shred you down!"

"Try me, Black. Just Try me."

Carlie sent Black down against a wall. He was powerful enough that she could not destroy it, but he could at least keep it at bay. Black tried once again, and she successfully turned him away, however, she was overwhelmed by the feeling of despair against the monster that she failed to regain her balance, and fell down.

At that moment, she felt a cold piercing pain on her stomach. When she looked down, she had a piece of metal from the scraps of the spider robot going through her belly. The very thing that made her a woman.

She felt all of her heat go down from her head. All she could mutter before falling out was "Friends... I've failed you", but she caught the small glimpse of a figure jumping on the back of Black. Then it was all white.

* * *

The girl had fallen. She was slowly dying as the metal piercing her body took her life. Piece to piece. A little bit of life essence went away per second.

Suffering. Was there a purpose for it? Nah. But who cared. This was the end, he had won, he was right. Duran was down. Riesz was down. Jessica was down. Hawk was dead as well as Angela. And Ludwig... uh...? Where was he? Wasn't he with the Palad-

Suddenly, Black felt cold steel piercing his back and going through his chest. He looked over his shoulder to see the small frame of the Hell Knight.

"Surprised Black? It seems as if you hadn't dealt with me before. You know, I'm bound to live for all eternity to suffer. Or something similar, ask the Demon Prince. I frankly don't care. I'm starting to get a liking to kill wretches like you."

Ludwig moved forcefully his sword to cause more pain at his enemy.

"GET OFF MY BACK!" was all he could scream as the pain tore him from the inside.

Ludwig closed his eyes and began chanting his own lines...

Then he whispered "dark banishment"...

A huge tornado of black energy began to emerge from his sword,  
making the hole on the back of the beast wider with each passing moment, inflicting tremendous amount of pain on the undead general.  
Eventually, the tornado would eat him up.

"Stop it Hell Knight! We're supposed to be on the same side!"

"It doesn't matters anymore. I suppose, then we'll find out on another plane or time... It doesn't matters to me!"

* * *

By the time those words were spoken, Black was nothing more than a pile of ashes.

Ludwig reached the dying Carlie, who was still barely breathing,  
and tried to get her out of that situation, but Charlotte refused.

"No."

"What?"

"Don't do that: It's my time to die already. Besides, if you take me out of here, the blood loss would kill me any way. I am sorry,  
Ludwig, there is nothing you can do for me... except joining me on these last moments..."

She smiled, that easy going smile he had been used to see by now. From all of them, she was the one to believe him from the start.

"How is that you're even alive, Ludwig?"

Ludwig looked at his right arm and said "I just feel like that piece of me isn't mine anymore. I supposed that includes the blood.

Don't die... please..."

"And what are you...*cough* going to do about it, Hell Knight?"

"Indeed, what are you going to do?" sounded a familiar voice.

Ludwig looked up and it was the Death Hand, who was looking the scene, slightly amused by the whole thing. He laughed and said "Hello Carlie"

Charlotte merely coughed blood.

"I'd give my own damn life to save her. I brought all of this destruction here. If I could save someone, it'd be she..." said Ludwig.

"Then so be it, Hell Knight"

"What the hell do you mean?"

"You are destined to die from the start. You were even sent this big freakish undead legion and you've managed to trump them. I'd said you've earned a reward, or so to speak..."

Ludwig then coughed blood. He fell to his knees, unable to stop the flow of liquid coming from his mouth, and crashed his head against the floor.  
He then looked at his chest, where a huge hole had been ripped, and blood was pouring out from it. He managed to detail how Carlie's face, a few seconds before was pale and now was recovering her then screamed out loudly, and suddenly fell down, cold.

And dead.

The metal on Charlotte's belly snapped, and she opened her eyes. After blinking several times, she looked up and found the Death Hand staring at her.

"That was too good of a guy to be a Hell Knight. Let's see what happens..."

Carlie, not understanding, gestured several times before asking "What happened Death Hand?"

Kevin smiled, and said "He decided to finally die. Your life was spared, for this war was pointless. Feel free to speculate why did he gave his life for yours, and how did the events of this war happened. As you won't see me again."

She merely opened her mouth, but Kevin cut her "Tell Riesz I said 'hi'"

He then turned around and vanished.

Carlie looked at the dead body of the Hell Knight, and kissed him on his cold lips.

"He was right. You were too much of a good guy to be a Hell Knight."

* * *

**"I believed in you**  
** I gave up everything just to find you **  
**I have to be with you to live to breathe you're taking over me"**

**Evanescence "Taking over me"**

* * *

**Chapter 10 (IV) - This is the end of it all -**

The next day, the survivors took up their work of burying the dead bodies of the fallen. Only Ludwig was held up for a special funeral. The reason?  
His corpse simply disappeared when Charlotte went to try to wake up the rest of the heroes on the battle. Even more disturbing was that there was a trail of blood to be followed until a splash of blood was met on a wall of the castle, suggesting that the corpse had risen up, and ran away until, for some reason, was splattered against a wall. Charlotte believed it to be a sick joke from Kevin, whose message left me cold and emotionless. Obviously, this was something that was better forgotten, I believe.

We buried, though, his Doombringer, his bastard sword. The eye had also stopped moving. Duran, on his speech, noted that this should have been a lesson for us all, to learn and trust people who have no bad intentions. He had also proposed that the surviving population from Rolante, Altena and Forcena joined together to build a new kingdom, an idea which was met enthusiastically by the people, afraid that a new menace would finally kill them all.

Charlotte and Jessica cried the whole ceremony. Jessica left in the middle of it, screaming that she loved him, and that no one would ever fill up the gap left on her heart, the void on her soul, and blamed it all on everyone for not paying attention earlier to his words.

Charlotte took up and talked about the dangers of Hell raising over. But then she suggested that perhaps there was a lot more time than what was expected. So she asked everyone to move on and try to work hard to pick up civilization. Her usual warm smile had been substituted by a face wallowing on sadness by the lost of someone who gave his life for her.

A little tear fell of from my eye. I was the Queen of Rolante. I couldn't lose my composure so easily. I asked everyone to pay their respects to someone who saved us all. Ludwig, someone who would be remembered. I also began the plans to build a statue on his memory... But I had the burning sensation that he was still around, and in the group of people watching the ceremony, I had the feeling I always saw him somewhere, but I couldn't precise where was he.

We never found anything from General Black. Charlotte insisted he had turned to dust, but I was paranoid that he had survived once again. What few magicians survived from Altena helped out moving out the bodies of the inert undead, for the benefit of us all.

That night, I surprised myself drinking a glass of wine looking out of the window. I couldn't sleep. The bed seemed so big without that someone to fill it up. I left my room, and eventually asked Charlotte and Duran to sleep on the same bed. Duran found the idea amusing, but agreed.

Jessica didn't, though. She left the castle early in the morning to search for Ludwig's dead body, and failed. Poor girl. We all lost all we held dear. But I suppose life moves on.

Using whatever resources we had left, we took control of the biggest ships available, in order for all of us to settle on the more fertile lands of Forcena. Riesz, Charlotte and Jessica all seemed somber, and I understand: Only the faith these people have on me as a Paladin keeps me from breaking down and die.

I still wonder what did Ludwig had in mind exactly. He had come here for a reason... but not even Charlotte wanted to search an answer.  
Perhaps it's just a social rule, and all that people had to die? What had they to pay for?

I'd love to find a reason for this all. But I guess only Ludwig had such answer, even if he didn't knew it.

I tried talking with Jessica, but she refused to talk with anyone about it. I caught her crying on the ship back home on a lonely corner.  
I was unable to find anything which would sound good enough for her to cheer up, so I quietly left, hoping she wouldn't notice my pressence.

When we got home, Charlotte left the ship and kissed the earth, and promptly left for Wendel, saying we would find each others later,  
as now, there were other pressing needs.

Personally, I always felt like people were elemental spirits. Duran was the spirit of fire for me, dangerous and always ready to burn it all in a fit of reckless emotions. Riesz would be water, maternal and life-giving, protecting us all from the start to the very end.

I always felt like air. Wise, always there, always everywhere. I am a priest, for Mana's sake.

But Ludwig was earth. If I'm always there, there was something that always reminded me of Ludwig. Below that mass of water, below our very feet, allowing us to ride on his memory, he was there.

But if there was a fifth element, it would be the spirit. And in this moment, Jessica was that element. She was the part of us that always shown our true feelings. For a moment, in that gruesome battle, we were a homogenic group that I don't even think with Kevin, Hawk and Angela were. With all due respect for their memory.

But it might be because Jessica was someone we all cared for and wanted to keep her safe, and it might be because Ludwig was actually around. We may never know.

* * *

_"I must be strong and carry on,_

_'cause I know I don't belong here in heaven."_

**Eric Clapton "Tears in Heaven"**

* * *

**Chapter 10 (V) - Oblivion Awaits -**

As Jessica arrived her room in Forcena, she threw herself on the bed, and hugged the pillow. A few tears came out again.

She still couldn't believe he was gone. When she met him, she heard his story, and told him that even while dead, Michelle would live on her heart. It was pretty ridiculous that she couldn't really follow her own advice. But it was so difficult to believe he would live on when he probably wouldn't.

He wasn't meant to live on history. He was made to be erased from memory, as the true scourge that brought all the suffering to Forcena.

But he wasn't responsible for it all! He didn't choose to bring it all! He was just thrown here!

Was he?

She turned around with the pillow on her arms, for a moment wishing it was Ludwig but for a moment fearing what might have been the guy she held dear next to her. She wondered what was his intentions,  
what was the true history. Who was Ludwig...

"Someone who made us better persons. That's for sure."

She then felt a strange smell on the room. She turned around on the bed to watch the window, and was striken by a strange presence on the room, holding a cigarrete, and dressed on fairly odd clothing.

It was Ludwig, sporting shorter hair and a bizarre scar on his neck,  
like someone had tried to cut his head off and missed by a few millimeters. He was watching off the window, and turned his head around to see Jessica, and suddenly vanished.

Jessica blinked and thought to herself it was just a mirage. She then walked towards the balcony when she reminded the smell...

"That was NOT a mirage..."

"Of course it wasn't girl."

She turned to her left to find Ludwig standing there. He was wearing a long coat, dressing pants and a suit, as well as a tie. The Doombringer was tucked inside a sheath to his back, the eye looking at Jessica firmly, occasionally moving around. His hair was a bit shorter, now held on a tail and the scar on his neck was definitely unsettling.

Jessica ran at him and held him, and this time, he received her and held her tightly, and said "Don't get used to this".

"Ludwig! You're back, you don't know how much I've missed you! What happened?!" she asked, insistently holding him like there was no tomorrow.

"I am not back, Jessica."

She opened her eyes wide and asked, incredulous "What?"

"I am not back."

He moved back a few steps and led the cigarette to his mouth. "I died. And no one gave her or his life to save mine. And I did not deserve it.  
I don't think it would have worked anyway. I have another mission, Jessica. And, unfortunately, i can't bring you with me on this one."

"it's okay, I mean, I will see you again, right?"

"That is... very unlikely." He sighed. "I don't think you will ever see me again."

"What do you mean?"

"I have a mission, Jessica. And that is to lead an army. An army which will one day oppose all life and all that is order. I am a Hell Knight. That wasn't something I was able to choose...

... but we will perhaps meet again... just not now..."

"You're contradicting yourself, kid." said, mockingly, Jessica.

"I'm just trying to make the news easy to hear. Listen, do you really think it would be the same if we meet again? Do you really think you even know me?  
I'm a freaking killing machine, I only live for the battle and everything surrounding it. Don't make me sound like a hero. I didn't do nearly as much as you all think I did."

"You gave your own life for Carlie's."

"She deserved it. She believed in me from the start. Think of it as a very strange 'thank you'. It isn't something I would do for anyone."

"Would you do it for me?"

An uncomfortable silence was heard, and Ludwig hung his head down for a second, before raising it again, and saying, harshly "No."

"You're lying" Jessica replied immediately.

"No I am not. For Hell's sake, Jessica, have you been listening? I'm a HELL KNIGHT, I am made to CRUSH, KILL, and DESTROY. Nothing else! Everyone I loved has slowly withered away in my memories, dying violently or worse!"

"HAVE I FUCKING DIED, LUDWIG?" screamed Jessica, grabbing her own shirt in desperation of making him hear. Ludwig thought for a second, and blinked several times. he then sighed and answered:

"You've been quite close."

"But I haven't died yet, Ludwig! What makes you think that darned jinx of yours will even touch me? Because Michelle and Lise died? Because you killed your parents out of your own conscious negligence? Because you brought that fucking plague here and killed Hawk and Angela? Are you listening? That doesn't make any sense!"

"Look at me, Jessica! Look at my eyes? Do you like it? The blood red that colors them now? Touch me! TOUCH ME I SAID!" screamed Ludwig as he grabbed her hand and put it on his chest "Do you feel any warmth? I AM DEAD, Jessica. I no longer feel anything! I no longer bear any feelings! I'm out of it! understand me now?!"

A tear fell from Jessica's eye as she noticed Ludwig's chest, cold as ice, and looked at Ludwig's eye, crimson red as blood.

"Ludwig..."

"Don't call me that. Ludwig is dead. I'm what's left of it: A Hell Knight."

"Why did you came, then, Hell Knight?" asked Jessica looking down.

"To give you this."

Ludwig grabbed Jessica's hands, which now were trembling, and handed her something. He then caressed her cheek, which nearly flinched from the contact, and when Jessica lifter her view, he was clearly in pain.

"What's wrong, Hell Knight."

"It will protect you."

She raised her hand and touched his cold face, and he was the one flinching now. She, confused, retired her hand and noticed a red burnt on his cheek, as if he had been marked by hot iron. He closed his eyes, and said slowly "Goodbye, Jessica. You were the only thing that kept me alive. Now, I will be the only thing that will keep you safe... from myself."

She looked down to her hands, and it was a pendant. A rune she had learned long ago it symbolized earth.

He then kissed her, leaving Jessica to wonder what was happening in the loneliness of the black night, and then she suddenly blacked out.

* * *

_"She shines In a world full of ugliness _  
_She matters _  
_When everything is meaningless _  
_Fragile _  
_She doesn't see her beauty _  
_She tries to get away _  
_Sometimes it's just that nothing seems worth saving _  
_I can't watch you slip away..._

_I won't let you fall apart._

_She reads the mind of all the people as they pass by _  
_Hoping someone would see_  
_ If I could fix myself I'd-_  
_But it's too late for me..._

_I won't let you fall apart._

_We'll find the perfect place to go where we can run and hide_  
_ I'll build a wall and we can keep them on the other side ... _  
_But they keep waiting..._  
_... And picking..._

_It's something I have to do _  
_I was there too_  
_ Before everything else _  
_I was like you..._

**Nine Inch Nails "The Fragile"**

* * *

_Author Notes:_

_Just the epilogue to go. Personally, I hate long goodbyes. Much more so when I'm the one who has to write them. Poor couple._


	11. Chapter 11

**Epilogue (I) - Oblivion Awaits Again -**

Some people believe in miracles.

Some others, blame it on coincidences.

I prefer to say it's destiny. Say you will end with a blue car when you grow up. That doesn't means you won't get a Ferrari, or even a working car.  
You will simply end up with a car. You might simply never grow up. I've seen some cases.

It was destiny that led me there.

I woke up one day to find a beautiful landscape, beautiful women, and a beautiful country. Then I just kinda smashed it to pieces. Sad, isn't it?

Blame it on the destiny.

I wasn't guilty of it all. I was just the vessel. I drove destruction here, and created destruction here, and I took the destruction away from here. All in one fell swoop. Who's to blame? Me? No. Destiny.

That Angela, Hawk, Queen Valda and countless others died, that was their destiny. They gave their lives to a greater cause. Me. To help me descend to my fate. To join the Infernal Ranks, to become Lucifer's executor. To bring death, defeat and despair to the world. Someone will come to challenge me. And, for your hopes, that someone will be triumphant. But, to have your hero, you need a villain. And that villain is me. Someone you brought, the boy that you loved. That one will be the man that you fear.

But not today.

Not here.

Not now.

Time will come.

A difficult birth. Time will tell as well if it was worth it. Perhaps too much was given up. Deaths. Lost friendships. Trust destroyed. Truth forgotten. I don't know by now if so much was necessary.

Riesz was left to wonder the whereabouts and intentions of her loved beastman. The one who's my partner in arms now, the Death Hand. For me,  
she can keep wondering for all eternity. The answer was at her hand and she didn't ask the right questions, and so, she was never answered the right things.

Duran will probably keep going on with his life. He's a tough guy. I don't think he will go down at that. And he has a kid to take care of. I always thought if those movies which start with a single father and end up with a super-boy of a child could be real. So there. That could be the answer.

Charlotte. Oh dear. Your words will continue to burn in my heart. That, if there's a heart to be burned still. I could have fallen in love with you,  
if you weren't so much like... yourself. I don't know. You hair. Your body.  
Your friendly attitude. Your shyness. You're so much unlike anything else.  
That, or you chastity vote. I never asked you that. Perhaps I'll find out in the Armageddon, before we cross our weapons.

Jessica...

The seed will grow on you. It's up to you water it. You're the one who will play with destiny from now on.

As for me, I will sit here, as the executor, awaited for the moment to act. With the Dark Prince by my side, and the Death Hand holding me, we have little to worry about. We will meet again.

You will see the Hell Knight once again.

* * *

**Epilogue (II) - When Angels deserve to die -**  
-

As I woke up, I broke down into tears. He was there. I felt him. Closer than ever before. I could still feel his arms caressing me. I could still feel his lips. I could even feel his voice saying "I know you hear me. I can taste it in your lips".

What I couldn't do was remember.

Last night seemed to simply fade away.

What I feared the most was true. He will not be remembered. For all of his sins or deeds. His name will be forgotten. His history, erased. His legacy, killed.

Perhaps not. Perhaps I could make his name stay. His history written. His legacy, survive. I don't know If I should, though. It wasn't easy to remember. It wasn't easy to find the guts to feel back on the battlefield to remember the feelings among a million corpses, even harder when some of those corpses were still moving.

It's been said that relationships which start on dangerous situations never last long. I guess it was right.

I move out of the bed, feeling slightly dizzy, and feeling a weird thing on my belly. I walk slowly outside, tears still rolling from my eyes. I find Duran outside, with his son, awaiting for me to wake up.

"Good morning, Jessica. Are you all right? You look sick" he asks.

"A bit... some stomache." I say, annoyed.

"Oh, right, girl's stuff!" he says, joking, and looking back.

"Don't be silly Duran! What happened? What are all these guards doing here?"

He shows me a small paper which says "Love will grow on you. Don't miss me. I left a small part of myself on you. It will be something you can grow for good. Don't let it rot like myself.- Lucifer's Hell Knight."

"Found it on the moat this morning. Supposed it was directed to you. Somehow it had to be put there. We're still searching the whole castle."

Duran looked very worried and asked again "You sure you're alright, Jessica?"

"I feel kinda... dizzy..." I said as I lost my balance and he grabbed me.

"Okay, let's see Charlotte. This isn't normal."

Duran led me to the throne room, where Riesz and Charlotte were. They seemed worried as well, but they both smiled when they saw me.

"Are you okay, girl?"

"I'm... just..." then I fainted.

The next thing I remember is Charlotte face staring me.

"Jessica... did you meet Ludwig?"

* * *

_Author Notes:_

_Finally! THREE YEARS LATER! I can't believe is finally over! So much has happened, so many things came and went... I wish I could share it with you, but..._

_This is not the place, nor is it the moment. Hope you liked it. Time to go to bed..._


End file.
